Unseeing Eyes
by WishUponAStar1015
Summary: A story was told with much left unsaid. Kyuubi was infamous, but what about his best friend? Not a tailed beast, but a god, he was sealed within a young kunoichi. Can the two of them open Naruto's eyes to the one who stood by him through everything?
1. Prologue and Enter Iduna

**Alright, guys. This is my new story and the extent of my creativeness at the moment. Four stories is the max I can post and still have regular or semi-regular updates.**

**I tried to keep this character as un mary-sue as possible, but, then again, a lot of people think my characters are mary-sue-ish in the beginning and then they either grow out of it or don't...eh, I don't know. Whenever I think I know what a mary-sue is...it ends up wrong and people claim my characters are. Oh well. **

**Anyway... Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I only own Iduna and Saiki. You may use them if you wish, just ask first. (I'm only putting this here because I have a pet peeve now because people used to steal my characters in the past.)**

**Alright...Read, comment, vote on my poll, and be happy!**

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**Unseeing Eyes**

**Part One**

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**Prologue and Enter Iduna**

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In a world where shinobi reign supreme there are five main countries. The Land of Earth, hosting the village Iwagakure – Village Hidden Among the Rocks, the Land of Lightning, hosting the village Kumogakure – Village Hidden in the Clouds, the Land of Water, hosting the village Kirigakure – Village Hidden in Mist, The Land of Wind, hosting the village Sunagakure – Village Hidden in the Sand, and last, but not least, the Land of Fire, hosting the village Konohagakure – Village Hidden in the Leaves.

It is within the village Konohagakure, Konoha for short, our story begins. This story is about a particular shinobi – one who is shunned by humanity in his home village simply because he harbors something dreadful – on a quest to complete his nindo. His shinobi way.

But that is not all that there is to this story. There are many other people who will be influenced by this boy, but none more than a girl who had lost everything except for the one who took her in.

She is the last of her family and the fates had a plan for her. This is also the story of the host of the Kyuubi's best friend, Seiryuu. Well, I can't get too much into detail right now, but you'll understand soon enough.

This is a story of intertwining fates. Of destiny and of challenges. This is a story of defeat and of humility. Of acceptance and friendships forged.

This is the story of one Uzumaki Naruto and the one who saw through his disguise, Ryuujin Iduna. This is a story of love, hardships, death, pain, sadness, joy…and a bundle of other emotions that one cannot understand by themselves.

This is the story of how the host of Kyuubi found his mate.

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The sun was shining brightly on one particular morning. The sun was shining down on a village – the shinobi village of Konoha. Within the village of Konoha lived a girl and said sunlight is currently filtering into that girl's window.

The window led to a small, but well lived in, room that was fairly neat. Clothing was piled in neat stacks and various weapon pouches were hanging off the chair. If you listened hard enough you could hear the shower running in the bathroom she shared with her caretaker.

The bed had a comforter on it made of a dark blue, but there was a little critter sleeping in the middle of the neatly made mess. And it was that little critter who was her animal partner. Her family didn't pride themselves by partnering with dogs, like the Inuzuka family, or did not summon slugs, toads, or snakes…no, the animal that partnered with the Ryuujin family was the almighty dragon.

The dragon that was sleeping on the bed was fairly young, being about as big as his kunoichi's forearm, and he was an ice dragon. His name was Saiki and his scales were white. The strip of scales along his stomach was a very light blue color, similar to the color you would think of when thinking of ice. Saiki's eyes were coal black and so were the four horns protruding from his head. He had two little patches of grey scales right below his eyes.

Unlike other dragons of his kind – the ice dragons – Saiki had fur. He had a strip of grey fur under his bottom lip, a long strip of fur from between his eyes to his horns, and a strip of fur all along his back to the tip of his tail. Unlike other dragons, Saiki had four legs. He had four fingers on his hands and three toes, each finger and toe ended with a deadly claw.

Last, but not least, were Saiki's wings. They really were unusual for the fact that they were lined with fur as well. The feathers were replaced with shards of ice, but due to the dragon's element being ice they never melted.

All in all Saiki was an unusual dragon, but he had never met any other dragons to compare himself with. Of course, he was really a summon, but he preferred to be partnered with 'his kunoichi' as he put it.

Oh, and one more little tidbit. He could talk. The downfall of this ability was that his kunoichi was the only one able to understand him.

Saiki perked his head up as he heard the shower stop. A few moments later his kunoichi, Ryuujin Iduna, made her way to the room.

_**Forget to bring your clothes to the bathroom again, Iduna? **_He laughed, breath coming out in a hiss.

The girl he was talking to was only twelve years old, almost thirteen, but she was mature for her age. She had to be since she was orphaned at a young age. Growing up she only had Saiki and her caretaker, who happened to also be one of the Shinobi Instructurs at the Academy. His name was Umino Iruka.

Iruka took her in when her parents died even though he had been living on his own. He had a small source of income and decided that he couldn't let her float through the system or end up like another shinobi orphan he knew very well.

Iduna was fairly average. She wasn't very tall and she wasn't very short. She was average. She wasn't fat and she wasn't thin. She was once again – average. She had stormy grey eyes, which were nice, but the one feature she was the most proud of was her hair. Her hair was long, almost to her bum, and fell in neat waves. She usually kept her hair styled in a coiled braid at the top of her hair, using two chopsticks with hidden knives in the end to keep the braid in place. Her bangs framed her face, coming a little past her chin, and she had also learned how to lace just the tiniest bit of chakra to keep the coiled braid in place – now it was like second nature.

The reason why she loved her hair so much was because of the color. Corresponding to her dragon's element, she had white hair and ice-blue bangs. She loved the color of her hair and Iruka had often commented on it.

"Yes, I forgot again. I can't help it! It's so early!" the white haired kunoichi protested as she dressed. She was so used to the little dragon being in her room with her that she just dropped the towel. She knew that Iruka wouldn't barge into her room.

It was a weekend so that meant that there were no lessons at the Academy that day, but since Iruka was on a small mission for the Hokage Iduna was left to do all of the chores…which included grocery shopping.

But, there was a little time for training before she went grocery shopping so she got up extra early. There was no way that anybody else would be up this early, right?

As she got dressed she thought about the type of training she could do today. She was wearing a typical outfit for her clan. She was wearing a sleeveless black kimono that reached her knees, with an ice blue obi to hold it closed, and a silver dragon embroidered in the back. There were two slits on either side reaching her waist, but she was wearing long tan pants that ended in soft fishnet when it reached her knees.

Open black shinobi shoes were on her feet, and she couldn't go anywhere without her weapons pouch. Iruka didn't know that she carried it with her – she wasn't supposed to be wearing weapons since she hadn't graduated the Academy yet.

Currently it was seven in the morning. She rubbed her stormy grey eye, still tired, but she was intending to spend at least two hours training.

Iduna picked up Saiki and let him climb around her arm so that she was situated on her shoulder, locked up, and was on her way to the training grounds.

The white haired kunoichi trained for hours, resisting the urge to use any of her special techniques. She didn't want any of the other shinobi to have the advantage. Throughout the whole training session she couldn't help but feel two distinct pairs of eyes on her. Although she could sense the chakra easily, she didn't have time to go chasing after two different people.

She ignored the feeling of the eyes – really, if they wanted to hurt her they would have already – and collected her shuriken and kunai. Replacing the miniature kunai in her hair sticks, she turned to look at the trees. That was where the chakra signatures were coming from. One was fairly familiar, but the other one she couldn't place.

Calling Saiki she turned to go to the marketplace in order to do her grocery shopping, then she would go home and take a much needed shower.

She didn't notice that one of the people who were watching her train start to follow her to the market, but the other stayed hidden within the leaves. Said shinobi was wearing a tight green spandex suit and orange arm warmers. He possessed dark coal eyes and black hair shaped in a bowl-cut. He had already graduated from the shinobi Academy one year prior for he was wearing a red clothed Konoha head plate – a hitai-ate – around the waist of his jumpsuit. He was watching the white haired kunoichi with a curious expression on his face.

Suddenly, a much larger and identical shaped figure landed on the tree branch next to him.

"Lee! I am pleased to see that you are expressing your youthfulness by observing your fellow shinobi in training!" he exclaimed, striking a unique pose and grinning. He gave his student a thumbs up, truly pleased that said student, Rock Lee, had taken an interest in someone.

"Sensei! Who was that youthful girl? The one with the dragon? Is she still in the academy -for I do not see a head plate anywhere on her person!" the young shinobi asked, perking up and resting his attention solely on his instructor.

"Ah! Lee! How youthful for you to ask!" he exclaimed with tears sparkling in his eyes. He opened his arms wide, grinning widely as his pupil launched himself within his arms.

"Yes! Sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Sensei!" they continued with this for the better part of ten minutes. Finally, when they broke apart, did his mentor, Maito Gai, answer his pupil's question.

"Lee! You must become more youthful by following this girl and scoping out the answers for yourself! Only then can you become a fine shinobi!" his mentor exclaimed, hitting another odd pose as a sunset suddenly appeared behind him.

"Yosh! Sensei I will do my best!" Lee exclaimed as well, tears sparkling in his eyes.

Meanwhile, the other shinobi that had been watching Iduna practice had followed her to the market. This shinobi, however, had not graduated the Academy yet and was in Iduna's class. They were, in fact, friends – not the best of friends – but friends nonetheless.

Most people would recognize him as the number one troublemaker in Konoha. He wore an orange jumpsuit with a black tee shirt underneath his jacket, shinobi sandals on his feet, and a pair of dark goggles sitting on his forehead.

He was following the female shinobi simply out of curiosity. He wanted to get to know her, but he was intimidated by the fact that she lived with their teacher. If he was intimidated by anyone it was Umino Iruka. It wasn't because of the fact that he was an authority figure – he actually loved breaking the rules – it was because of the fact that this particular shinobi looked up to Iruka like an older brother.

If you haven't figured it out, this knuckleheaded shinobi's name is Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto flipped through the trees as he followed his target. He had met Iduna a few times and, of course, they were in the same class together, but he admired her. No, not for her good looks – well, he did think she was pretty, but he did have that crush on Sakura – but due to the fact that she was an orphan…like him. She was often ridiculed in class for her unique hair color, but never around Iruka, and the villagers liked to mock her, too.

Not much was known about her family. Her clan disowned her father when he married her mother and they, in turn, were killed a long time ago…when Iduna was just a child. She was chosen by an ice dragon, which was uncommon, and because of that her hair changed from brown to white and blue.

No, Naruto admired her because she found a way to be acknowledged for her skill without breaking down or resorting to violence. She was one of the most skilled kunoichi in his class. What she lacked with tactics, she made up with speed and techniques. Iduna didn't try to earn acknowledgment by playing pranks, instead she was kind to the ones who insulted her…it was like she didn't understand that they were ridiculing her.

Naruto followed Iduna and her little dragon as she completed her grocery shopping. Unfortunately, the list was way too long for her to gather by herself. The white haired kunoichi had four bags in her hand and her little dragon was flying beside her, carrying two tinier bags; he had one gripped in his hands and the other he had his tail coiled around.

He had no doubt that she was a skilled kunoichi, but even she couldn't avoid the inevitable. Her little dragon let out a hiss of warning, but she couldn't dodge the little kids that bumped into her from behind.

_**Iduna, watch out for the children!**_ Saiki hissed, fluttering his wings as he tried to balance the small bag of groceries he was carrying.

The white haired kunoichi dodged to the side, but because of her overstuffed arms she lost grip on one of the bags. Naruto couldn't let her have her groceries soiled so he lunged forward, catching the bag of groceries in his arms. Iduna was startled, but she was even more startled when she realized that it was Naruto who had caught her groceries.

"Oh, Naruto-san." She gasped in surprise before smiling as she tried to balance the third bag of groceries she still had in her arms. The blond shinobi grinned as he took the third bag that was in Iduna's arms. Her cheeks were dusted in a faint blush, not that Naruto noticed, and she bit her lip in nervousness.

"Thank you." She quietly said as he adjusted the two bags in his arms. It took two children to carry all of the groceries this time whereas Iruka could have handled all four – and maybe the two that Saiki were carrying – with ease.

"No problem…um…what was your name again?" he asked. He thought long and hard, but he just couldn't remember. Iduna's cheeks burned red once again as she realized that Naruto didn't know who she was.

"I-I'm Iduna…remember?" she asked, hoping that he would remember when she gave him her name. After he thought for a moment his expression seemed to be one of recognition. He was sure that her name was something along those lines. He grinned and they were on their way before suddenly stopped short.

"Hey! Why'd you call me 'san'? We're not exactly strangers y'know." he said. She thought about it, and considered his words to be true, but she didn't exactly feel comfortable enough using another term of endearment so soon.

"You're right…we're not, are we…" she mused. Without replying to his previous question she wandered back to the apartment she shared with Iruka, Naruto on her trail. For some reason he was extremely docile and not at all the rambunctious prankster he was notorious for.

"So…why are you here helping me and not pulling some sort of prank?" the white haired kunoichi asked, looking sideways at the blond shinobi. Naruto was startled out of his thoughts, but he managed to maintain his grin.

"I dunno. I just seem calmer with you around. I kinda like it." He said, shifting the bags he was holding so he could scratch his cheek. He was looking the other way so he couldn't see the blush dusting its way across her face once again.

_**He must be attracted to your chakra. Your clan's chakra can sometimes draw in shinobi, but sometimes it can be a pain. **_Saiki explained to her. All Naruto heard were strange hissing noises, but Iduna could understand him perfectly.

Soon enough they were at Iduna and Iruka's apartment. She let Naruto in, but as soon as he set down the bags of groceries he was gone. The white haired kunoichi darted to the front door, calling his name.

"Naruto, wait!" she called, catching him right when he was about to leap off the railing. She caught him off guard and kissed him on the cheek, right where his whiskers were.

"Thanks for helping me today. See you at the Academy tomorrow." She said, smiling at the grinning face. He nodded before yelling and jumping off the railing, leaving her to unpack the groceries. Unpacking the groceries took most of her time so she finished the day with dinner, leaving some for Iruka to eat when he got home, and went to sleep…but her dreams were disturbed with a larger than life dragon.

And that dragon happened to be called Seiryuu.


	2. Uzumaki Naruto Part One

**I apologize to my beta for posting this before she got back to me, but I wanted to get this and my next chapter of Prophecy of Truth posted before I go back to school. =D Yay for college!**

**Thanks to:**

**PureAngelEyes - I know, I haven't seen a lot of Naruto/OCs out there...so I'm making my own. I just HAD to put that little quip in with Lee and Gai lol.**

**Please Read and Review!**

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Chapter One

**Uzumaki Naruto Part One**

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Once there was a great nine tailed fox beast. With one swing of its mighty tail and the mountains would crumble and tsunamis would take form. To fight this demonic entity the people assembled the Shinobi. There was one brave shinobi who was able to seal up the demonic being, but, unfortunately, that brave soul lost his life. That shinobi was known as the fourth Hokage.

Said Hokage's face rested on a great mountain, immortalized by being carved in stone. On either side of the respected monument were the faces of the previous three Hokages. As strong as they were, eventually their time was over and their memory would always be remembered due to the monument.

However, one brave boy dared to defile the monument by streaking different colored paint on the stone. White, green, red, blue…all sorts of colors ran from the eyes, noses, and covered the cheeks, hair, and faces of the honorable ones. The child responsible was none other than the resident troublemaker, Uzumaki Naruto. He giggled mischeviously as he continued to deface the great monument, people gathering underneath him.

Across the village, located in the highest tower, was the Hokage. He was the strongest shinobi in the entire village. He was an elderly man, having once retired and given his role to the next Hokage. Unfortunately, since the fourth Hokage sacrificed himself, he took on the role once again. He was known as the third Hokage.

The old man had white hair and a medium sized white beard sprouting from his chin. He was sitting in front of a long white piece of paper, intending on writing in the giant scroll when he was interrupted.

"Hokage-sama!" a random high level shinobi appeared in the Hokage's office. He was out of breath, having just dashed from the great monument to inform the shinobi leader of the blond hooligan's antics.

"What is it?" the Hokage said slowly, looking over his shoulder. He eyed the shinobi. "Is Naruto causing trouble again?" he questioned again as the younger shinobi tried to catch his breath. The shinobi's face furrowed into a scowl as he thought about Naruto's antics.

"Yes!" the male ninja said as he finally caught his breath. "That punk Naruto is desecrating the Hokage Monument!" he exclaimed, waving his hands for emphasis. Another shinobi was standing near him. He was silent until now.

"And this time he did it with paint!" the second shinobi shouted, an anger mark forming on his head.

The two of them watched as their Hokage reached to the side for his Kage hat. It was like a type of rice farmer's hat except for the fact that it was styled much more intricately. A white cloth hung down in the back, covering the old man's neck and the sides of his face. The cloth went down to graze his shoulders. The Hokage placed his hat on his head and sighed, wondering what exactly the boy had done to the Hokage monument. He left with the two shinobi, taking his time getting to the monument.

Meanwhile, a bunch of villagers had gathered below the monument, shouting a bunch of insults towards the one causing so much trouble.

"Hey! Stop causing trouble!" a random villager shouted up at the blond ninja. Naruto, of course, just ignored him.

"Stop doing this every day!" a second villager shouted up at him. Naruto was brave; he ignored the words of the villager and continued to spray paint the Hokage's monument.

"You'll pay for this!" yet another villager threatened, gathering the attention of a familiar looking kunoichi. A certain white and blue haired female shinobi had been passing by with her forearm length dragon familiar when she heard the commotion. She became angry when she heard the threats that the villagers were giving her friend.

"Hey! Leave Naruto alone!" she exclaimed, coming to the front of the crowd. She was wearing her usual outfit, but her arms were covered in bandages from training. She threw her arms out to the side, as if protecting the blond shinobi from their angry words. Her little dragon, Saiki, began to pull the hair of the villagers who dared to insult the little male shinobi.

Iduna's eyes were ablaze with anger. How dare they threaten him just because he was trying to get a little attention? Said blond shinobi had paused in his painting, glancing out of the corner of his eye to spot Iduna standing in front of the crowd. A small blush forms across his cheeks at the thought of Iduna standing up for him, but a frown quickly replaced it when he heard one of the villagers yell at her.

"Don't tell us what to do, dragon wench! Why are you even defending that monster?" the villager that threatened Naruto seethed. Iduna jerks back, stunned and hurt by being called a 'dragon wench' while Saiki bristled. His scales started to shimmer and the air around him became freezing cold.

"Saiki, stand down." The white haired kunoichi murmured sadly. She lowered her arms and a deep, heavy sensation developed in her chest. Suddenly, Naruto's determined voice cut through the air.

"Shut up you idiots and leave Iduna alone!" he screamed, narrowing his eyes in anger. He didn't like it when people insulted the people he cared about and he considered Iduna a friend whether she thought so or not.

"None of you guys could do something this horrible! But I can! I am incredible!" the young thirteen year old gloated, giving off a mischievous aura. Iduna was surprised; she hadn't expected Naruto to stick up for her. She turned around to watch as the blond shinobi continued to paint on the Hokage Monument.

Suddenly, the white haired kunoichi jumped as the Hokage walked up beside her. She jumped even more when she realized that her teacher/big brother was standing on her other side. Saiki had finally calmed down and settled on her shoulders, wrapping his long tail around her right arm.

"Geeze…what has that idiot done?" the old man asked to himself. He looked over the damage that had been done to the monument, noticing the Academy teacher out of the corner of his eye. He grunted, not saying anything to the young kunoichi, but instead gave Umino Iruka his full attention.

"Third Hokage-sama. I apologize for this." The teacher apologized. He was wearing the standard Chuunin uniform – a dark long sleeved shirt, long black pants, and a green Chuunin vest. He had kind eyes, his chocolate hair was tied back in a high ponytail, and the most distinguishing feature about this kind man was the deep scar that ran across his nose.

"Oh! Iruka." The Hokage murmured to himself. Of course Iruka wouldn't be far behind Naruto when the blond shinobi was causing trouble. The Chuunin took a deep breath, preparing to rip his student a new one.

"What the hell do you think you're doin' during class time?" the teacher shouted up to Naruto. Iduna took the time that he was occupied and slipped away, cradling her little ice dragon in her arms. She jumped from rock to rock and eventually made it into the trees, intentions set on getting Naruto out of the line of fire.

"Get down here, you moron!" Iruka's voice reverberated. Boy, did that man have a set of lungs on him or what? Naruto, of course, was surprised by the intensity of the shouting. He looks down, suddenly just the tiniest bit afraid of what his teacher would do to him when he was caught.

"Yikes, that's Iruka-sensei." He murmured, trying to think of a way to get out of being punished. None came to him, but Iduna suddenly appeared on top of the head he was painting. She looked down at him, a small smile on her face while Saiki hissed a greeting.

"What are you doing, Naruto?" she quietly said, still smiling as the young shinobi fumbled with the paint brushes. He looked up at her with wide eyes; he was sure that she would leave once Iruka-sensei had gotten there. He was sure that the pretty kunoichi wanted to avoid trouble, yet, here she was. She was still kneeling on top of the monument, looking down at him while her dragon looked over her shoulder. A light flush covered Naruto's cheeks – he hadn't ever had the attention of a girl before. Especially one as pretty as Iduna, in Naruto's opinion, of course. He suddenly had an urge to impress her.

"I'm just doing a little prank!" the blond shinobi exclaimed in his usual loud voice. She smiled down at him, which made him grin wider.

"Isn't this cool, Iduna? Huh, huh?" he asked, pulling himself up so that he was sitting next to her kneeling form. Saiki chirped happily as he affectionately pulled on Naruto's hair.

"Heh, it is, Naruto…but don't you think we should be in class?" she asked, eyes creasing in worry. Naruto, however, scoffed and took hold of her hand. The white haired kunoichi, however, cradled her young ice dragon against her shoulder.

"No time for worries! We have to go or else Iruka-sensei will catch us!" he exclaimed. Iduna looked hesitant for a few seconds, but her mouth soon formed a smile as she giggled. The two of them took off away from the monument, eventually giving their teacher the slip as Iduna pulled a camouflage blanket from out of nowhere. It had a wood-like pattern on it so the two of them pressed themselves up against a wooden fence, effectively giving Iruka the slip. Once he had passed the two of them lowered the blanket.

"That was close, Naruto. I can't believe we got away." the white haired kunoichi breathed, heart pumping with adrenaline. The shinobi boy beside her grinned. It was like she was giving him a compliment.

"It was fun, right?" he asked her, eager to hear her answer.

"Yes…it was fun…but we need to get to class." Iduna said. She was a sort of goody-two-shoes. She had never missed a class before and she wasn't sure how Iruka would react.

"Oh, who needs class, anyway?" the blond shinobi said, turning his head and puffing out his cheeks in annoyance. Iduna had to go and ruin their fun, but he wasn't really mad at her.

"Don't you want to see Sakura?" the white haired kunoichi asked. Naruto turned to look at Iduna and thought about it. He hadn't thought about Sakura all day. It was true that he thought the pink haired kunoichi was extremely pretty, he had been distracted by the way that Iduna stood up for him when the villagers were yelling at him. His cheeks flushed as he remembered her face, but he pretended to perk up at the mention of Sakura's name.

"Of course I want to see Sakura!" Naruto grinned, placing his hands behind his back. "But I'm too great of a shinobi to go to school!"

"Is that so?" both of the young shinobi gasped, surprised at the heavy breathing that was behind them.

"Oh! Iruka-nii…" she said, suddenly feeling extremely guilty for missing class. The three stood there for a few moments, looking at each other, and then the next thing that both Naruto and Iduna knew was that Naruto was tied up like a pig. The white haired kunoichi looked at him for a few seconds before giving in. She knew she wasn't up to par with a Chuunin yet. The three of them teleport back to the classroom where Naruto was dumped in the corner. Iruka gently took Iduna by the shoulder and led her to the corner of the room.

"Why weren't you in class, Iduna-chan? It's not like you to miss one, especially since I made sure you left early enough that you had an extra hour to train." It was then that Iduna flushed a dark color. Saiki chirped, moving his head up and down as he laughed.

_**Just be glad that he can't understand me or else I'd tell him ALL about your little crush on Naruto over there. **_Saiki chuckled as his kunoichi blushed an even darker color. Iruka just chuckled, patiently waiting for the young girl's reply.

"I…I was worried about Naruto." She began, sending a glance towards said shinobi boy. He was looking at her with an indistinguishable expression. Iruka, however, having lived with the girl so long knew that there was more to the excuse.

"I didn't want him to get in trouble with the villagers…again. He's only looking for attention." She quietly said, giving the blond shinobi a sad look. The older Chuunin sighed, giving the girl a look of understanding. His eyes were full of remorse – he hated what the villagers did to Naruto.

Instead of being punished, like Iduna thought she would, Iruka merely placed his hand on top of her head and smiled. The two of them shared a bond like no other.

"I understand, Iduna-chan, but don't let it happen again. To grow strong you must first attend class." Iduna smiled back, giggling as Saiki twitched his wings.

"Bah." The sound came from Naruto, who was still tied up on the floor. Iruka motioned for the kunoichi to take her seat, but he narrowed his eyes at the one who was on the floor.

"Tomorrow is the Shinobi School's Graduation Exam. You have failed the last two times." Iruka started, venting his anger. Naruto just wasn't taking things seriously. "This is no time to be causing trouble. MORON!"

Naruto's eye began to twitch, but the white haired girl was quick to intervene. They were wasting enough time while they were arguing; they were supposed to be practicing for the exam.

"If it will help, I'll tutor Naruto." She said. Saiki chirped on her shoulder, saying that he would help, too.

Naruto smiled and his eyes began to sparkle. With Iduna's help, he would be on his way to his goal, but Iruka had other plans.

"No. you all need a good night's rest." He said, glancing down at the still tied up shinobi. "If he fails…it is because he was slacking off."

Naruto's previously excited expression fell into a depressed face. "Yeah, yeah."

The blatant show if disrespect finally made Iruka crack. A couple of veins were protruding from his skull. He abruptly turned and took a hold of Iduna's arm. He gently dragged her from her seat and set her at the beginning of the tables.

"Time for a review test on Henge no Jutsu. Everyone line up!" he called out, giving Naruto the evil eye. He thought it was a fitting punishment, but the class…not so much.

"Transform perfectly into me! First up…Ryuujin, Iduna." He said while taking out a clipboard with the class roster on it.

"Right, Sensei." Referring to her caretaker as her sensei while in class. She held her hands in the appropriate position and used the Henge technique. She created a completely identical clone as Saiki landed on her shoulder. She transformed back and sent a small smile to Naruto, who grinned back.

"Okay, good. Next up…Uzumaki, Naruto." He inwardly smiled as he checked off Iduna's name. Her training had been coming along quite nicely.

"This is all your fault." A student hissed as Naruto passed him by. The blond shinobi, however, cared little about the rest of the class…except for Iduna and Sakura that is.

"Like I care." He said, huffing as he made his way to the front of the line. He made the necessary hand gestures and shouted, "TRANSFORM!"

Unlike Iduna, who transformed into a perfect copy of Iruka, Naruto had a little something else in mind. He changed into a woman in her older teens…but the woman version of Naruto was nude. She had little puffs of cloud surrounding her breasts and lower area, but the girls still squealed. Iruka withstood this as long as he could, but he was male after all. Blood shot out of his nose, causing him to ricochet to the corner of the room. Naruto looked back at the girls, winking to Iduna and grinning at Sakura.

"Haha! I call it Sexy no Jutsu! Didn't I do great, Sakura-chan? Huh, huh?" he asked, sidling up to her. To everyone else, it seemed like he had a huge crush on her, but she just clenched her fist and pounded him in the back of the head. He didn't seem to notice that Iruka had since recovered.

"You dumbass!" he shouted in Naruto's face, completely fed up with his childishness. "Don't invent stupid skills!"

The rest of the class was laughing at his misfortune, but Iduna was laughing because of what he did instead of the fact that he failed.

"Naruto! What was _that_?" she laughed. Naruto could tell the way she was laughing was different. She wasn't being cruel…like he was used to.

After class let out, hours later, Naruto was being forced to clean the paint off of the Hokage statue. He was forced to sit on the same pulley that he used to paint the faces in the first place. The young shinobi was scowling as he continued to wash the paint from the stone.

"I won't let you go home until you clean it all off." Iruka said. He was watching the young prankster with a stoic expression. Naruto had made the mess and as punishment he was to clean every drop of paint. Iduna was there as well. She had nowhere else to be so she thought she'd keep her guardian and Naruto company. Saiki, the young ice dragon, was resting across her shoulders as usual.

"Like I care…" the young shinobi muttered. "It's not like I have anyone to go home to." He thought that he was being quiet, but his voice carried through the air to the two waiting figures. The white haired kunoichi immediately felt guilty for putting Naruto through the trouble of cleaning the statues, even though she wasn't the one who came up with the punishment.

She picked up a rag and said, "Naruto…do you want some help?"

Naruto's face dropped in shock. Never before had anyone offer to help him clean up the aftermath of one of his pranks.

"Wha…why?" he asked, becoming increasingly confused.

"Because we can get done faster," she said, making herself a makeshift pulley to sit on while she would clean beside Naruto, "and I like spending time with you. You're funny."

It was the first time someone of his age group – let alone a girl _and _akunoichi – complimented him. His mouth dropped open a bit before he let out a small smile of contentment.

"I like spending time with you, too. You're…" Naruto could think of hundreds of things to complete that sentence, but he didn't want Iduna to think that he had a crush on her.

"You're calming." He finally said. It was true. The heiress to the Ryuujin clan was calming due to a special circumstance that neither one of them was aware of at the moment. The two young shinoibi continued to scrub at the monument together before Iruka sighed, interrupting the companionable silence.

"Naruto…" he started, trying to make amends.

"Now what?" the blond by grumbled, trying to finish as soon as possible so he could go home. Not that he didn't enjoy Iduna's presence; it was that he was annoyed at his Sensei. The white haired kunoichi beside him giggled at the look on his face.

"Well…um…if you clean all this up, I'll buy you some Ramen when Iduna-chan and I go eat tonight." He said, rubbing the back of his head and looking down warmly at the two working children. Iduna looked back up at him and smiled, showing her gratitude.

"Awesome, Iruka-nii." She turned to look at Naruto, whose face was absolutely glowing.

"Okay! I'll work hard! I will!" and the two of them finished cleaning the monument within the next hour due to Naruto's intense craving for ramen. The three of them sat at Ichirakus, enjoying a nice hot bowl of ramen. Iduna sat on the far left with Saiki in her lap, feeding him bits of beef that were in her bowl. Naruto sat in the middle, and Iruka sat on the right of Naruto. They were all quietly enjoying their meal before Iduna's curiosity got the better of her.

"Naruto…" she began as she fed the young ice dragon another bit of beef.

"Huh?" he asked, mouth full of the delicious noodles.

"Why were you defacing the monument today?" she asked, eyes wide and full of curiosity.

"That's right. Why _were_ you defacing the monument?" the Chuunin asked, setting down his chopsticks. "Don't you know who the Hokage are?"

"Of course! Basically those that receive the Hokage name…" his eyes were bright with admiration, "are the strongest shinobi in the village, right?"

It was Iduna who answered the question.

"That's right. And among them is the fourth, a hero who saved the village from a fox demon. The current Hokage is the third." She said, taking a bite of noodles.

"Then, if you know who the Hokage are, why did you deface them?" the Chuunen asked again.

"One day…I'm going to get the Hokage name…and then I'm going to surpass all the previous Hokages!" he said, surprising both Iduna and Iruka. "And then, and then! I'll make the village recognize my strength!"

Of course, the blond shinobi thought he was completely alone in his quest to become Hokage, but he wasn't. The young shinobi was far from being alone.

"Naruto…I believe in you." She said, giving him a small smile. Naruto's face displayed shock before he smiled widely. His heart was pounding as her word sunk into his very soul. He laughed before turning to Iruka.

"By the way, Sensei…I have a request." He said, taking off his goggles.

"What, you want seconds?" the older shinobi joked, drawing a hearty laugh from the young female shinobi.

"No…can I borrow your leaf headband?" he asked as Iduna abruptly stopped laughing.

"Oh, this?" Iruka asked as he touched his hitai-ate. "No, no. This is for after you graduate. This is a symbol that you've come of age. Maybe you'll get one tomorrow." He said, ruffling Naruto's hair.

"Stingy!" the young blond shinobi grumbled, letting the other two laugh at his attitude. It was a fun night, filled with eating and companionship. Naruto's heart was swelling; finally, he was being accepted by someone his age. From then on he vowed to protect her so that he would have at least one friend in the world that was his age.


	3. Uzumaki Naruto Part Two

**Dislciamer: I don't own any Naruto characters. I only own Saiki, Iduna, and all of Iduna's jutsu.**

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**Chapter Two**

**Uzumaki Naruto**** Part Two**

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It was the day of the exam for the graduating students of the Shinobi Academy. Both Naruto and Iduna were extremely nervous, but, unlike Naruto, who had nobody to comfort him, the young kunoichi had Iruka by her side.

"Don't worry, Iduna-chan. You'll do great. You've had me for a tutor, after all!" the older Chuunin joked, ruffling her hair. Saiki hissed out a laugh as the girl's hand automatically went to her hair in order to make sure it was alright.

"Ne, Iruka-nii? You really think I can do it?" she asked on their way to the Academy. He turned to her and gave her one of the most encouraging nods he could muster.

"Of course! I'll always believe in you, Iduna-chan." He said, giving her a one armed hug. She smiled and was content with his belief in her abilities.

Soon after the two of them arrived at their destination, Iruka was called to the back room. He was going to be one of the judges. An hour passed and her name was finally called.

"Ryuujin, Iduna." Iruka called. It was weird having him call her by her last name first. She stood up and waited for her dragon companion to fly into the room before her. She took a deep breath before entering the room. This was her graduation test for crying out loud!

"Okay, Iduna-chan. We need for you to make clones of yourself. The more the better." Iruka told her, smiling kindly at the white haired young girl. Iduna gulped, but the feeling of Saiki hovering beside her gave her confidence.

"Right." She said, making the proper hand signals.

"Bunshin no Jutsu!"

_**Bunshin no Jutsu! **_Both human and dragon cried out at the same time. Suddenly, there were four of each Iduna and Saiki in the room. Four clear figures of the white haired Kunoichi stood with a gentle smile with each of the ice dragons perched on their shoulders. Suddenly, a poof filled the room with smoke and the copies disappeared.

"Great job, Iduna! You pass!" Iruka exclaimed, happily handing his charge a hitai-ate. She took it and wrapped it around her forehead, right under her bangs. The knot fit perfectly under the coiled braid.

"Congratulations, Ryuujin-san." The other white haired shinobi commented. He always seemed kind of odd to her, but in her current state of happiness she just let it pass. She trudged through the doors and received stares of all kinds. She nodded to them and sat back down at her desk, waiting for the next person to be called. Eventually everyone was called except for one person.

"Uzumaki, Naruto." And there he went. Iduna gave him a small wave and a smile before he went into the next room. He was about to either pass or fail…and her stomach gave a nervous flop.

Naruto nervously stood in front of the two Chuunin teachers, waiting until he finally gained enough courage to perform the test.

"BUNSHIN!" he exclaimed, hoping for the best. The Bunshin no Jutsu was definitely not one of the blond haired shinobi's strong points. When the smoke cleared, only one clone was visible. It was a weak and sickly little thing, lying on the floor and twitching as Naruto nervously giggled. Despite all of his training he had failed to conjure up a suitable clone. It was silent in the room for a total of one minute.

"FAIL!" Iruka exclaimed, jumping from his seat. Naruto was blown away by the ferocity in his teacher's voice. The white haired Chuunin looked to Iruka with a surprised expression. He had thought that Iruka would have passed Naruto even though the young shinobi had obviously failed.

"Iruka Sensei." He began, catching the attention of the scarred Chuunin instructor, "This is his third time, and he did technically create a clone. We _could_ let him pass…" he trailed off at the other shinobi's silence. Iruka waved his hand, dismissing the white haired Chuunin's suggestion.

"No way, Mizuki Sensei. Everyone else divided into three – even Saiki could do it and he's not even an animal-nin." He started, shaking his head. "Naruto only created one clone and it was a useless one. I can't let him pass." With that an angry expression formed onto the blond shinobi's face.

After the Shinobi exams were over, all of the childrens' parents were celebrating with their respective child.

"Great job! That's my son!" one villager exclaimed.

"Now you're a man!" another proudly bragged to anyone who would listen.

"I'm so proud of you! I'm going to make you your favorite dinner!" a woman gushed to her child, giving them a hug.

These were the parents of those who passed. Not all of the children, however, had someone to turn to. Uzumaki Naruto sadly sat on a swing, sadly noticing that he had nobody to congratulate him…for he didn't do anything worth being congratulated for.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over his hunched form and a chirp caught his attention.

"Hey, Naruto…" a feminine voice said, "I'm sorry about the exam." Naruto looked up and was surprised when he saw Iduna standing over him. He gave her a pained smile.

"Yeah…well…I'm happy for you." He said, eyes full of longing as he stared at her hitai-ate. She didn't smile though, settling for sitting on a tree stump with Saiki on her shoulder. He cooed at him, a worried glint in his eye.

"Don't be, Naruto. I'd happily return my hitai-ate if you wanted me to." She replied seriously. Her face was determined and she ignored the shocked gasp that her blond friend let out.

"What? Why?" he exclaimed, eyes wide. He stood from the swing and looked down upon his friend, wondering what exactly was going through her mind. She shouldn't have to give up her accomplishments for him and he certainly didn't want her going back to the academy when she worked so hard to graduate.

"Because nobody should be alone, Naruto." She whispered dropping the affectionate term at the end of his name, reaching up a hand to softly caress Saiki's fur.

"What?" the blond shinobi breathed, blushing slightly.

"Everyone needs at least one friend by their side or their life will become focused on the darker aspects of life…like revenge." She replied, "I've had Iruka-nii and Saiki by my side. Let me be the crutch you need in times like these." Iduna replied with a small smile. The little ice dragon that was resting upon her shoulder let out a hiss of agreement.

_**I really like this boy, little one. **_He hissed to her, still amused by the fact that she was the only one who could understand him.

"Iduna…" Naruto said, dropping the affectionate term at the end of her name as well. It was a big step to address someone without any honorifics at the end of their names, but the two of them were forming a bond that was hard to break.

"You don't have to do that for me." he said, eyes uncharacteristically serious for once. Although he was shocked at what she was offering, Naruto was touched that she would do something of that caliber for him.

"I _want_ to. I would like to be your friend, Naruto, if you would let me." she knew she had already said that they were friends, but now…now they were like best friends.

"Yeah, of course! We'll be _best_ friends! _Believe it!" _Naruto exclaimed, grinning, "But don't give your hitai-ate back because of me." he told her, placing a hand on the one that was about to untie her headband. Saiki lifted his head off of Iduna's shoulder, giving the blond shinobi's hand a little lick.

"It looks like Saiki wants to be your friend, too." Iduna giggled as the dragon grinned as much as he could.

_**Of course.**_He hissed, nodding his head. Suddenly, the three of them turn their heads as two female citizens of Konoha started talking about Naruto. The two of them didn't even bother to hide the fact that they were talking about him.

"Hey, that kid…" she pointed to Naruto.

"Yeah, that's 'the' kid. And he's the only one who failed." The other woman responded.

"Well, that's good." The first woman responded, "We can't have him becoming a shinobi. Since he is…" but she was cut off by the second woman.

"Hey, we can't talk about that." She reprimanded, shaking her finger. Naruto looked down in shame for failing, but the white haired female shinobi standing beside him started shaking with pent up anger. She walked up to the two adult citizens with a glare on her young face. Saiki flew behind her, puffing out his icy feathers in an attempt to look intimidating.

"Excuse me." Iduna said with attitude, "Why don't you just leave Naruto alone? He's just a boy who's trying to complete a goal. To accomplish his dream! I bet none of you can become a shinobi so why don't you back off, hypocrites!" the young female exclaimed, drawing the attention of everyone in the courtyard. People began whispering as she stalked back to her blond friend.

"Iduna…" he whispered a she grabbed his hand.

"Come on, Naruto. Let's go." She said, pulling him behind her. He got over his shock easily enough and a warm feeling spread through his chest. So _this_ is what it felt like to have a friend. He sped up so that the female didn't have to keep pulling him, starting slightly when he felt something land on his head. A soft hiss told him that it was a certain kunoichi's icy dragon.

As the Hokage watched the two of them leave, he approached the two young ones' teacher, Iruka.

"Iruka, I need to talk to you." The Chuunin nodded his head.

"Yes." And with that they went off together.

Outside the Academy gates a certain white haired shinobi intercepted the two children.

"Naruto. Iduna." He said as his shadow fell over the two of them. They turned around and the little ice dragon hissed.

_**Iduna, I don't trust him.**_ He relayed, eyes narrowing in distrust. Iduna didn't either, but Naruto smiled at the adult. The white haired female ninja had no choice but to follow after the two if she was to keep her promise to herself: she would protect those who were closest to her.

Hours passed and the three of them, plus Saiki, were sitting on the ledge of Mizuki's apartment. They were overlooking the rest of their beautiful village. It was silent until Mizuki started to talk to the three others.

"Iruka Sensei is a serious person, Naruto. His parents were killed when he was young and when he was just a teenager his parents' friends died." Iduna tensed when he said this. The people he was talking about were her parents.

"He vowed to take care of little Iduna-chan, here. He's had to do everything himself intil she was old enough to help around the house." The older shinobi said. Iduna found herself nodding at what Mizuki said, revealing a bit of her past to the sullen blond boy sitting next to her.

_**Be careful what you reveal of your past, Iduna. It only for those close to you to know. **_Saiki warned, yawning as he let out a little stream of chilled air. She sighed and thought about how much she was going to reveal of her past. It was true that such things were uncomfortable to talk about, but Naruto was becoming someone she could trust with her life very fast.

"That is true. I'm very grateful that Iruka-nii decided to take me in. If it weren't for him…" she trailed off, dark and depressing thoughts starting to cloud her mind. If he hadn't taken her in…then she would have gone to her uncle and now rightful heir of the Ryuujin clan until she became of age. He was a cruel man, much like the Hyuuga leader.

"If it weren't for Iruka-nii then I'd be in an orphanage. Or dead. I'd rather be dead then to be a doll in my own house. Besides, the Ryuujin clan lives in an estate that isn't in any of the villages. If I were to live with them then I would have to leave Konoha." She continued sadly. A tear trailed down her face as she kicked her legs. Saiki gave out a sad chirp, thinking about the dragon companions of Iduna's childhood friends. Some of them had been his friends as well.

To her surprise, a finger wiped away the tear that was trailing down her face. She looked up, even more surprised that the finger belonged to her usually hyperactive friend.

"Don't say things like that. I know the village would be a lot different without you, but I'm sure someone would have adopted you. Believe it!" although Naruto's comment hit home, the white haired female shinobi couldn't help but continue to wallow in her sadness. She may be considered a princess in her family, but she was an outcast in the eyes of the others.

"Thanks, Naruto." She said through a watery smile. After that, things began to revert back to Iruka's behavior with Naruto.

"But why does he only seem to pick on me?" the blond asked, mood picking up again. Mizuki smiled at the two of them, but it was Iduna who voiced his thoughts.

"Iruka-nii probably sees himself in you, Naruto." She said to him with a small regular smile on her face. Saiki hissed in agreement.

" That's right. He's probably thinking that he wants you to become strong in the real way." The older shinobi said, "Try to understand his feelings…since you also have no parents." It was quite for a moment while Naruto contemplated what his two companions had said to him.

"I just wish I had graduated." The blond boy sighed. The older shinobi looked down at him and smirked to himself.

"Well then…" he trailed off, catching Naruto and Iduna's attention.

"Huh?" Naruto asked, looking up at him.

"I'll tell you a special secret." The adult said to the two of them. Iduna started to listen to Saiki…she was beginning to lose her trust in the adult. Her mistrust was well founded. She was forced to listen to the older shinobi prattle on about a scroll that was hidden away in the Hokage's house. His _house_ of all things! But, unfortunately, Iduna was forced to help Naruto if she wanted to help keep him safe.

The two of them crept into the Hokage's house, but were caught as they were searching the long hallway.

"What are you two doing in my house at this hour?" he asked them, causing the white haired female shinobi to squeak in surprise. Naruto glared at the Hokage and decided to use one of the techniques he had recently created.

"Sexy no Jutsu!" he exclaimed and in a puff of smoke he transformed into a nude female version of himself.

"Baisu Hiryuu no Jutsu!" Iduna exclaimed, forming the correct hand symbols. It was a smaller version of the summoning technique meaning 'Multiple Flying Dragon Technique'. She was still working on summoning larger dragons for the attack, but for now four smaller dragons, about half the size of Saiki, flew from small portals that surrounded the female shinobi.

"Go, Hakuryuu!" she exclaimed and the small white dragon nodded his head, chirping an attack to the others. The four of them swarmed the Hokage and he was stunned; he had never seen an attack of this caliber before. Both Naruto and Iduna's attacks left him off guard and stunned, leaving the two young ones to search for the scroll. With the icy dragon's help, they were able to find the scroll and steel away into the night…but they were unaware that they were being watched by a familiar shinobi named Mizuki.

The two of them ran until they found a clearing for Naruto to practice in. They lay panting on the forest floor until they gathered enough energy to sit up and read what was inside the scroll. Naruto opens it and groans.

"Let's see…the first skill is…Kage Bunshin?" at this Iduna couldn't help but snicker.

"What the hell? Why does it start with the one I'm bad at?" he raved, angry at the scroll. His childish antics were causing the white haired kunoichi to laugh.

"Well, Naruto, you know what they say." She said in between giggles, "Practice makes perfect!"

"Iduna!" Naruto whined, giving her the best puppy face. He was hoping that she would help him with his technique. She gave in, leaving Saiki to watch the two of them from a tree stump nearby.

Meanwhile, Iruka was lying awake in his bed. It was very late and he couldn't help but be concerned. This was the first time that his surrogate little sister had stayed out so late without informing him where she was. If she was training then she would have either told him at the Academy or she would have come home and left him a note. The scarred Chuunin couldn't help but wonder if she was with Naruto…she had left the Academy with him, after all.

While thinking of his surrogate little sister leaving the Academy with Naruto, he couldn't help but have his thoughts turn to the blond haired hyperactive kid. The Hokage's voice echoed through his head as he sighed.

"Iruka…" the Hokage's voice echoed in his head.

"Yes, Hokage-Sama?" his voice echoed as his mind replayed the small conversation.

"I know how you feel but…he is similar to you…" the Hokage said, referring to the young blond shinobi. Iruka couldn't help but think about the fact that they were both parentless. He was still quite young, but he was just a child when his parents were killed by the Kyuubi. His thoughts turned for the worse when he remembered seeing their deaths, but he was knocked out of his memories when a knock shook his front door. Iruka's heart hammered in his chest when he checked Iduna's room, praying that she had returned through the window like she was sometimes prone to do. When he saw that she wasn't there, he raced to the door.

"What is it? Is Iduna alright?" he exclaimed when he saw that it was Mizuki at his door. He was very concerned now; he remembered Mizuki talking to both Naruto and Iduna when they were still at the Academy. Mizuki inwardly smirked. His plan was working perfectly.

"We must go to Hokage-Sama's place!" he exclaimed, sending chills down the other Chuunin's spine. "Naruto has…taken the Scroll of the Forbidden Seals as a joke…and kidnapped Iduna-chan!"

Iruka was speechless. Either Naruto had pulled a prank and it had gone horribly wrong, Naruto really did kidnap his surrogate little sister…or something else was going on here.

At the Hokage's house a group of Chuunin and Jounin shinobi had gathered. They were angry and wanted revenge for Naruto's latest prank. Taking a forbidden scroll was one thing, but kidnapping was taking things to a whole new level.

"He won't get away with this one!" shouted one shinobi, "Hokage-Sama!" he shouted again, but the elderly man tried to placate the angered warriors.

"Yes, those are dangerous scrolls forbidden by the previous Hokage." He started, catching the attention of the group that surrounded him. "If used in certain ways, it can cause incredible trouble." He was cut off by the warriors' angry roar. They wanted justice in any means possible.

"It's been half a day since the scroll was taken. We must hurry and find Naruto…and rescue Iduna. We must find out the true meaning behind this!"

"Yes!" the group of shinobi exclaimed, taking off at once. Mizuki snickered from the shadows once again. His plan was still going perfectly.

Meanwhile, Iruka finally made it to the woods where his missing surrogate sister and the troublemaking blond shinobi were resting on their backs.

"I've finally found you…Iduna are you alright?" he asked, taking in her worn body. His worry rose as she took a long time to answer.

"I'm…alright, Iruka-nii. Just tired." She said as she gave him a tired wave.

"Oh! I've found the nose bleeder!" the blond shinobi exclaimed, pointing at the Chuunin as his female companion giggled tiredly.

"You idiot, I found you!" Iruka shouted, pointing to the tired blond. His patience was at his limit and it felt like his blood was boiling, but it all went away when Iduna started speaking again. She had dirt on her face, making her look adorable.

"Iruka-nii." She sighed, sitting up from her laying position. It was silent for a couple of seconds before Naruto started talking again.

"You found us." Naruto chuckled, "But I've only learned one skill." He continued to try to catch his breath. It was then that Iruka saw that they were both covered in dirt from head to toe.

"Hey, you're all beaten up. What were you doing?" the Chuunin asked, sitting back on his heels.

"Never mind that." The blond boy commented, becoming excited at the chance of showing his teacher the new skill that he learned, "Hey, hey! I'm going to try an incredible skill. If I do it, let me graduate!"

Iruka was shocked. So this prank was because he wouldn't let Naruto graduate? If so, then why did he kidnap his surrogate sister? Was it to get back at him since he was the one who failed Naruto? Was this all about getting back at them because he wasn't able to become a Genin with the rest of the class? It was when Iruka was questioning himself that his eyes wandered to the scroll that was mounted upon the blond shinobi's back.

"Naruto?" Iruka questioned slowly.

"Hn?" the blond boy grunted.

"Where did you get that scroll on your back?" the two were silent, obviously trying to think of something to say. In the end it was the white haired female that told the truth.

"Mizuki Sensei told us about it." She told her surrogate brother. Iruka could sense no lies coming from her and was shocked once again to hear of this.

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto jumped in the conversation, "And he told us about this place, too. He said that if I showed you this skill…I'd definitely graduate!"

"It's true." The female nodded and the little icy dragon nodded at him.

"I didn't want him to have to do it alone so I helped him. I'm sorry for not coming home right away, Iruka-nii, but I wanted to help." The young female said, wobbling over to her dragon. She managed to only get two steps away before Iruka tried to push them both out of the way. Unfortunately, he was only able to push Naruto away. Iduna's reflexes weren't as sharp as they usually were so she was hit in the side with a kunai knife. Iruka was hit by several kunai knives as well, but he was used to handling the brunt of small wounds.

"Iduna!" both Naruto and Iruka shouted as the blond boy crawled to her side. She was sitting up and trying to pull the kunai knife from her side.

"Nice job in finding them." Iruka said to Mizuki as he was the one who threw the kunai knives, "I see…so that's what's going on." He grunted as he pulled a kunai knife from his thigh.

"Naruto, give me the scroll." The light haired Chuunin said, trying to coax Naruto into giving him the dangerous scroll.

"Hey, hey! What's going on here?" he protested, "Hey!" the poor boy was really confused.

"Naruto…" Iduna whispered as she finally managed to pull the kunai from her side. Saiki flew over to them and brushed one of his wings over the wound, freezing it with his power. The downside to this was that it lasted only for a few hours…and that it was so cold that it hurt. Iruka turned to the two young shinobi, yelling at them to get away.

"Naruto, Iduna! Don't give him the scroll, even if you die!" he exclaimed, pulling more of the small kunai knives from his shoulder. "This is a dangerous scroll that has forbidden ninjutsu sealed within it! Mizuki used you in order to get his hands on it!" the brown haired Chuunin exclaimed as he tried to dissuade Naruto from giving Mizuki the large scroll. Naruto is shocked and didn't know what to do, but he refused to leave Iduna's side.

"No, don't!" Iruka exclaimed, telling Mizuki not to reveal the truth to Naruto and his best friend. Mizuki, however, didn't listen and started to reveal Konoha's greatest secret.

"Twelve years ago…you know about the fox demon being sealed, right?" he asked, smirking even wider as the two children nodded. "Since that incident…a new rule was created for this village. The blond haired shinobi was curious, but Iduna had a bad feeling about what was to come.

"A rule…?" Naruto asked, cocking his head to the side.

"But, Naruto." Mizuki said, clicking his tongue, "This rule was never meant to be told to you."

"Not to me?" the young shinobi replied, extremely confused, "What is this rule? Why?"

Mizuki was now laughing with his head thrown back to the sky.

"What…kind of rule is it?" Naruto demanded to know. Iduna's bad feeling had suddenly become worse and it didn't help that her side was still hurting despite having the muscle and blood frozen by her dragon companion.

"The rule is that nobody is allowed to talk about the fact that you are the demon fox, Kyuubi." Mizuki cackled. Both Naruto and Iduna were shocked. The young female gasped and jerked her head to the side, looking at Naruto with wide eyes.

"Huh?" Naruto demanded, "What do you mean?"

Iruka was thrashing against the rest the kunai knives that were still stuck in his skin.

"Stop it!" he demanded, worried for both his surrogate sister's safety from Mizuki and Naruto sanity.

"Shut up! It's not true!" the white haired kunoichi exclaimed, tears pouring forth from her eyes. Saiki hissed angrily at the older shinobi, wings spread and icy feathers poised to freeze his enemy. A special kind of chakra only known to dragons was engulfing him, lending him strength for the upcoming battle.

"It means that you…are the nine tails demon that killed Iruka's village, decimated Iduna's family, and destroyed the village." Mizuki grinned. He enjoyed being the bearer of such horrible news.

"Because of the demon fox Iduna's father losing his dragon. Without a dragon he was exiled and later murdered. This which led her mother's suicide and gaining custody of the little one." The older shinobi sneered at them. Iruka's teeth were grinding against each other and he wanted nothing more than to kick some ass.

"No…it can't be!" the young kunoichi wailed, sinking to her knees. The blond shinobi's face betrayed his emotions. It was like his heart was cracking where he stood. He just couldn't believe that _he_ was the reason for the pain evident on his face.

"You were sealed up by the Hokage you admire…" Mizuki continued despite the efforts of Iruka.

"Stop it!" the scarred Chuunin tried to move forward, but he ended up falling to the ground.

"You have been lied to by everyone! Didn't you find it odd how everyone hated you?" Mizuki taunted, laughing at the horrified expression on Naruto's young face. Naruto's blue eyes were shining with tears, but Mizuki wasn't done yet.

" Iruka and Iduna are the same! They actually hate you!" he cackled once again. All of the trauma caused Iruka to start reminiscing about his tormented past. He started mumbling to himself, not focusing on what was happening in the world around him.

"He's never known parents love…and is hated by all the incidents by all the villagers because of that incident." He whispered to himself, eyes glossed over.

"Nobody will ever accept you!" Mizuki shouted to the children.

"So…to get attention he makes a lot of trouble. He's seeking acknowledgement of his existence…in any way possible." The scarred Chuunin whispred tohimself.

"That scroll was used to seal you up!" Mizuki continued to shout to both Naruto and Iduna.

"He acts tough but he truly is suffering…" Iruka continued to whisper to himself, but Mizuki took the time to release a giant shuriken, a giant throwing star, towards Naruto. He was still in shock with the information that Mizuki had revealed to him and was unable to move out of the way. Since Iruka was stuck in a land of his own, Iduna had no choice but to cover Naruto with her own body. She wasn't fast enough to move the both of them.

It all happened in a flash.

One moment Iduna was struggling to stand beside the frozen blond boy and the next she was standing in front of him with her arms wide out to the side. The large shuriken had sunk deep into her stomach, but, hopefully, it had missed any vital organs. Blood flew from her mouth as she let out a horrifying scream, snapping Iruka out of his flashbacks. Iruka's eyes widened drastically as he took in the scene before him.

Iduna stumbled back from the force of the blow, but Iruka was by her side in a flash despite his own injuries. He cradled her body to his after foolishly removing the shuriken. Saiki froze the wound, but, as it was so large, the icy substance hurt a whole lot more.

"Why…?" Naruto asked, tears falling down his whiskered cheeks.

"Because…Iruka-nii went through the same suffering you did. I see the look in his eyes sometimes when he looks at you." She said, coughing a little bit, "You two share the same hardships…but when my parents died, I had Iruka-nii at least."

"Iduna…" the blond shinobi whispered, but the words died in his mouth as she raised a finger to his lips.

"I care about you, Naruto. We're friends aren't we?" she asked, smiling as the blond boy nodded, "I just couldn't stand by and just let you be hurt."

By that time all three of them had tears openly rolling down their faces.

"Naruto, you must have been in a lot of pain, too." He murmured, to the other boy, "I'm sorry, Naruto. If I had done a better job you wouldn't have had to feel like this." The boy just looks at the two and after a split second decision, he dashes into the woods. Iduna, feeling like it was her job to look after the blond boy, jumped to her feet as well as she could and painfully chased him despite her surrogate brother's pleading.

The white haired female shinobi looked for Naruto, but the only thing she found was her surrogate brother and Mizuki. She didn't question how they appeared before her; the two of them were faster than she could ever hope to be at the moment. She could take little of Mizuki's jeering so she stepped in to defend her surrogate brother.

"Leave Iruka-nii alone!" the young female shinobi exclaimed, holding her side. One of her eyes was closed due to the pain shooting through her system. She was unaware that Naruto was hiding behind a tree close to their location.

"You really would defend that demon so much, little Iduna?" Mizuki sneered, "The one who caused your family to be torn apart?"

"I…" she trailed off, tears running down her cheeks.

"Admit it…you really hate him!" Naruto was waiting with bated breath to see what his newfound best friend really thought of him. She was the only one who knew that he possessed the Kyuubi, even though he, himself, found out about the fox just an hour ago.

"There was one time I felt like I hated him…" she began as the blond shinobi stiffened. His head lowered and he cursed himself for thinking that anybody would care about him. "…but then I realized I wasn't angry at him per say." She continued. Naruto sucked in a breath, head snapping up and ears straining to listen to Iduna's words.

"I was mad at the Kyuubi, but then…he wasn't the reason my family was torn apart. Sure, we were suffering, but my family was torn apart by the simple fact that my parents were selfish. My father went into battle despite knowing that he was the clan's head. His brother was supposed to fight for him, but I suppose at the time my father thought he was performing a selfless act…even though his brother is now the head of our clan and is the cruelest leader we've ever had." She explained, fists clenching. Saiki was hovering beside her, hissing a warning at the older white haired shinobi.

"I suppose you would say that they tried to abandon me by being cowards, but it only ended in their deaths. I wasn't abandoned; I had Iruka-nii to look out for me. When I see Naruto…I see the person he truly is. The Kyuubi may be a part of him, but they are separate consciousnesses. Naruto has his own mind…he controls his own actions…he has his own personality and his own feelings…and this is why I care so much for him." she finished with a small watery smile.

"Why you…" he was cut off by a glare from the female shinobi.

"I'm not finished." She flatly stated, "I acknowledge him as a member of the leaf village. I acknowledge him as Uzumaki Naruto."

"Iduna…I'm proud of you." Iruka said to her before turning to Mizkuki.

"I acknowledge him as a fine shinobi and an excellent student."

"You insolent fools! I'll take care of the girl, first. Then I'll take care of you, Iruka. Watch as your precious one dies!" Mizuki growled, revealing his second large throwing star. He was ready to throw it at the two figures as Iduna buried her face into Iruka's chest. Both of them were too injured to move any further. Saiki tried to freeze the star, but he had used too much chakra healing his mistress' wound.

Mizuki swung his arm that held the star, but he was knocked off balance by a blond and orange blur.

"Don't you DARE touch Iduna or Iruka Sensei. Or I'll KILL YOU." He growled, performing the one technique he had learned from the scroll. A thousand solid clones filled the clearing, beating up the nuisance that dared to call himself a shinobi. After that was taken care of, Naruto went to the two injured shinobi. Saiki landed on a tree root next to them, rubbing his head on Iduna's cheek.

Iruka smiled at the blond boy, telling him to close his eyes. While they were closed, the Chuunin removed his hitai-ate from his forehead and tied it on Naruto's. Iduna giggled, kissing him on the cheek after he opened his eyes.

The three of them laughed with each other as new bonds were formed and old bonds were strengthened. It looked like Naruto got to graduate with Iduna after all.


	4. Konohamaru and a Secret

**Right, so I'm mostly going to be updating my Kingdom Hearts story, but I'll be posting here every now and then (more often than that may indicate).**

**Thanks to:**

**PureAngelEyes - Thanks! Hope you like the chapter.**

**Elemental Dragon Swordman - Thanks for the review!**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**Konohamaru and a Secret**

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Konohagakure Village – the village hidden in the leaves…where today, one young man and his female friend begin their quests to become full-fledged shinobi. His female friend was kind, but she, too, held a secret. One that she was terrified to reveal to others…not for her safety, but the safety of her friends.

It was time for the last two shinobi to take their pictures for their identification cards. The white haired female shinobi, Ryuujin Iduna, sat still on the stool with a gentle smile on her face. Saiki, her icy dragon companion, was nestled on her shoulder so he could be in the picture as well. The photographer took the photo and smiled at the girl.

"That's one mighty fine photo, Ryuujin-san." He said, neither of the two noticing the blush that was spreading across Naruto's face. Then, it was his turn for the photo. Iduna sucked in a breath, desperately trying not to laugh at Naruto's face.

"You…want me to take the picture with you looking like that?" the photographer asked, an eyebrow raised. The female shinobi let out a snort and waved goodbye. She had promised she would train with a girl named Tenten and her team. They were interested in her Taijutsu and Ninjutsu – she fought with a dragon after all.

"Yeah!" the blond shinobi exclaimed, intent on getting his way. The photographer sighed, knowing that he was beaten.

"You'll be sorry." The photographer mumbled to himself, "Okay, now say 'cheese'." And the picture was taken just like that.

It turns out that Naruto had painted his face to look more manly. The Hokage looked over his photo after he had dismissed Iduna – her appointment only lasted about two minutes after he told her that the picture was pretty – the two young shinobi had just missed one another. Although it was an interesting picture, the Hokage was not liking what was on the Identification Sheet.

"Whaddaya think? It was hard getting just the right expression!" the young blond shinobi exclaimed, scratching the back of his head in nervousness. He was sitting in front of the village's best shinobi, after all.

"It took me three hours to get that shot!" he went on in his overexcited state. He gained confidence, not noticing that the Hokage was becoming annoyed by his excited behavior. Naruto continued, voice gaining volume as he gained confidence.

"After all, it's not like something ordinary would do…" he said, leaning back in his chair and jerking his thumb towards himself, "But with my artistic vision…" he was cut off by the older man.

"Do it over!" he exclaimed, startling the young blond shinobi and cutting off his rant.

"What concerns me more is why you chose not to wear your Hitai-ate – the headband that marks you as an adult shinobi of our village." The older man commented, seeing the goggles that Naruto was wearing instead of wearing his official headband.

"I didn't want to damage it." Naruto explained to the village's leader, "I'll start wearing it after the ceremony tomorrow." He said with an unusually serious voice. The Hokage nodded and continued lecturing the blond troublemaker.

"In any case, the secret dossiers in this yearbook are an essential intelligence resource to Konohagakure Village." The older man lectured, "So, to present yourself with such a face…" the older man trailed off. Naruto was irritated and he let the village leader know it.

"But I don't know about all that stuff!" he exclaimed. His irritation was instantly forgotten, however, when the sliding door to the room started to creak open. This was a private meeting so it was unusual for someone to be interrupting them. suddenly, the door slammed open and a young boy dashed into the room. He held a dulled shuriken in his right hand.

"On guard, ol' man!" the young boy exclaimed, "Right?" he asked, glaring at the village leader. Naruto was shocked, but the older man sighed in frustration. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. A short while after the young boy arrived, another, older, voice came floating down the hall.

"What's he got into this time?" a grown shinobi dressed entirely in black asked as he appeared in the open doorway. He appeared just in time to see the young boy trip over his own feet. The young boy slowly got up, a hand on his forehead.

"I get it! It's a trap? Right?" he accused, looking around the room. Finally, the blond shinobi voiced his thoughts as a sigh. He knew if Iduna was here she would be wondering the same thing – what exactly was the young boy trying to do? The shinobi in black instantly turned his attention to the little boy.

"A…are you alright, honored grandson?" he exclaimed, "And for the record, there are no traps here!" he continued as he adjusted the dark sunglasses that were resting on his face. A few seconds were spent staring at one another, but the boy opened his mouth to spew more utter nonsense.

"Aha! So you tripped me!" the young boy exclaimed, pointing at the blond shinobi, "It was you, right?" he continued as if he knew Naruto was the one to make him trip all along. The newly named Genin was less than thrilled at the accusations.

"You fell over your own feet!" Naruto shouted, grabbing the young boy by his extremely long scarf. His glare brought forth a horrified gasp from the black clad shinobi's lips.

"Unhand him, Naruto!" the adult shinobi all but demanded as he pointed towards the younger male. The Hokage sighed and started to rub his forehead. There was a lot of screaming lately.

"That boy happens to be the grandson of our revered lord, the Third Hokage!" the black clad shinobi explained. Naruto lowered the young boy to his feet, but the two of them continued to glare at one another. If Iduna were there she would be so disappointed in him. she was very affectionate towards children. Naruto's grip slackened slightly and his glare lessened, but only by the tiniest bit. But…the kid had to open his big mouth.

"So?" the boy questioned, "Take your best shot! I dare you!" he taunted the boy that was holding onto his scarf. His attitude bothered Naruto to the point that he didn't care that the boy in his grasp was only a child.

"Like I care, stupid!" Naruto exclaimed, bashing the young boy on the back of the head. The young boy screeched in pain and his babysitter froze in shock, but the Hokage just sat calmly with his fingers laced. The blond Shinobi was ready to accept his punishment, but he was surprised when tee Hokage just waved his hand in dismissal. Someone showed the blond shinobi to the door and he was told to take it easy until the next day. It was then that he decided to go look for Iduna. Her calming chakra was extremely addictive.

Across the village, in one of the training areas, the white haired female shinobi met up with her new friend, Tenten. The other girl, a Weapons Master, had met Iduna when she and Saiki had been shopping for new senbon needles. Tenten was a pretty girl in a traditional pink shirt and dark pants. She wore normal shinobi shoes and her chocolate hair was twisted up into twin buns. Saiki lazily flew behind the white haired female shinobi, floating on the wind as Tenten raised her arm in greeting.

"Iduna-chan! Hey! Congrats on graduating from the Academy! She said, almost instantly calming as the other girl drew closer. It was her unique chakra at work again.

"Hello Tenten-chan." She said with a smile and a small bow. The two of them chatted for a few moments until the other three members of Tenten's team arrived.

"Who are you?" a cold and icy voice questioned from behind the two. The icy dragon hissed a warning to the male figure, but he was quickly silenced when Iduna stood and bowed deeply.

"I am Ryuujin Iduna." She introduced herself with a smile. The pale man's eyes widened a fraction before they narrowed. Not many knew of her status, but it seemed that he did.

"What would the Dragon Princess want with us?" he questioned, taking a step towards the white haired female shinobi.

"Now, Neji. Is that any way to treat a lady of Iduna-hime's rank?" the voice of an older shinobi questioned. Iduna's head dropped when the older shinobi addressed her with such a title.

"Please," she said in a quiet voice, "I am not deserving of such a title." She continued with darkened eyes.

"Come now, Iduna-hime! Embrace your youth!" the older shinobi exclaimed, throwing his arms out as he finally stepped into the light. Now, the white haired female shinobi could see that the owner of the voice was dressed in a green jumpsuit and green Jounin vest. He was kind of…not good looking and his hair was shaped in a bowl-cut. She was about to reply, but another person caught her attention. He looked like a miniature version of his sensei. A faint blush was strewn on his cheeks as he looked at her.

"Lee! Introduce yourself to the Princess!" the sensei, whom she gathered to be Maito Gai, exclaimed as he punched his student on the back of the head.

"Right, Sensei!" the mini-Gai popped right back up, encouraged by Iduna's giggling. It was like he was never punched at all. Saiki sat back on his companion's shoulder and looked at the boy with a shocked and curious expression.

"My name is Rock Lee, Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha!" he exclaimed, giving the white haired female shinobi a grin. His grin was wide, showing off the gleaming sparkle that always seemed to be attached to his teeth.

"It's nice to meet you too, Lee-kun, but…please…don't mention to anyone my status." She pleaded, giving everyone a puppy dog expression.

"Neji knows because he was directly related to Hyuuga Hizashi, who was the brother of their current clan leader, Hyuuga Hiashi." She said, bowing to the white eyed boy, "And because he is in the Hyuuga clan he can actively sense the distinct chakra only I give off. It is different yet the same of my family, so he knows I am the Dragon Princess." She said with a small smile.

"So you're saying that if you had the same chakra as the others in your clan, Neji wouldn't have realized you were the Princess?" Tenten asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Correct. Even though each shinobi has a distinct chakra signature, the chakra signature of my clan is so close it is hard to distinguish. Only twelve of us differ, and each of us have a different elemental chakra attribute, but I am yet different from the eleven others…because of something I am forbidden to mention at this moment." Iduna explained. They looked at her with a confused expression, but she didn't hesitate to tell them a bit about herself. She sensed she could be friends with them…especially Lee.

"My family is one of the most powerful in the shinobi world…and has been overthrown by my power hungry and corrupt uncle Ryuujin Hiroshi. He is paired with a Darkness dragon, so that might be the reason…it might not. My parents are dead, my uncle holds power, and I am the heiress that is one of the twelve…'specials'…" she explained further, "Forgive me, but I cannot disclose more information to you about the 'specials' at this time. I am, by default of my chakra element, the holder of something containing extreme power. Nobody knows who holds the power except a select few and the rest only knows the Dragon Princess as the holder." She finished, looking down at her clasped hands.

Neji looked at the girl, feeling a strange emotion welling up in his chest. He knew what it was like to hold power, but to be shunned by family. He was only in the branch house of the Hyuuga clan, after all.

"I'm not strong enough to protect this power, but when I am…you may call me 'Princess'." She smiled at them. Both Gai and Lee had tears welling in their eyes before a sparkling sunset appeared in the distance.

"How youthful, Iduna-chan! Gai-sensei, isn't she filled with the springtime of youth?" Lee exclaimed, a waterfall of tears raining down his cheeks as he and his sensei hugged one another. Gai could only nod.

"Her determination inspires the youth within me!" the older shinobi wailed, "Observe Iduna-chan's youthful tendencies!" he exclaimed as Lee copied down his notes in a tiny notebook. The white haired female shinobi's eyes were wide. Where in the world did he keep that notebook? She smiled at them as Tenten sighed and Neji only turned away. It was time for them to begin training.

The four of them and Saiki trained hard under the watchful eye of the Green Beast of Konoha. A good four hours later, Iduna apologized and left them to their own team training. Unfortunately, she didn't get to show them any of her jutsu. All the better to surprise them then, huh? She wanted to check up on Naruto to see if the Hokage had accepted his rather…unique photo. After about twenty minutes of searching, she finally found her favorite blond shinobi, giggling at the irate expression on his face.

"Naruto!" she called, trying to gain his attention. His head jerked up and his scowl instantly turned into a gentle smile.

"Iduna, hey! How was training?" he questioned, eyes showing concern when the smile was wiped from her face. She forced another smile, but the blond shinobi could see through her mask.

"I can tell something's bothering you, Iduna. You can tell me." he said, giving her a hug despite the glares that the villagers were giving him. The white haired female shinobi winced and stared at the ground.

"Maito Gai and Hyuuga Neji know one of my secrets – a carefully hidden secret within my family. Don't ask me how Gai knows, but Neji knows because he's the nephew of the clan leader and most likely got the info from his father." She started quietly, "This secret is dangerous for both me and others. If it falls into the wrong hands…then I could be forced to kill us all." She admitted with a frown on her face.

Naruto stiffened in shock – her secret was so much like his own. He wondered if she had something sealed inside her like the Kyuubi…but wouldn't it be a dragon since her clan deals with them? His eyes then narrowed – who cares? She was his friend. His chest puffed out and he scoffed.

"Who cares? Let them know. I'll protect you until you're strong enough to overcome your secret!" he exclaimed, "Believe it!" he said with a grin. Iduna's eyes glittered with tears before she smiled.

"And I'll tell you my secret…I know yours so I'll tell you mine." She swore with all of her heart.

_**Good choice. If anyone out of this world, I would have chosen Naruto for you to tell. He has a good heart, Iduna. **_Saiki hissed in his approval, _**it's just a shame that your family lost contact with your Aunt Kikyo's family. I believe your cousin would have gotten along well with the boy.**_

Naruto grinned again, but the irate expression appeared on his face once again. Iduna looked to where he was looking with a confused expression, finally understanding when she saw the young boy hiding behind one of the pipes.

"Quit following me, stupid!" he exclaimed, pointing at the little boy. He was obviously a shinobi wannabe because he was holding a wooden patterned camouflage blanket.

"Naruto!" Iduna gasped at how he was treating the boy. The blond shinobi shrank back at the tone of her voice, but a glare towards the boy quickly overshadowed any desire to calk once again.

"I can see you right there!" Naruto once again exclaimed, pointing at the boy's hiding place. The boy didn't seem insulted, however, instead, he lowered the blanket and smirked at Naruto. The blond shinobi pushed a weary Iduna behind him, sparing her a glance as she cradled her dragon companion in her arms. The white haired female shinobi let out a squeak of protest, but stopped to listen to what the boy had to say.

"So, you managed to penetrate my disguise! Right?" he shouted with a small flush, "The rumors of your prowess don't lie!" he continued. Iduna was completely confused, but she decided not to say anything.

"Teach me your skills." The boy demanded of Naruto, "I'll become your disciple!" the boy insisted. It was silent between the three of them until started to beg.

"You've gotta teach me that technique you used on my Grandpa!" it was then that he noticed the Dragon Princess was still peering over Naruto's shoulder.

"Please teach me your dragon jutsu!" he pleaded to her, getting ready to tug on her pants leg. The girl's expression darkened before she looked away.

"Don't crowd Iduna like that!" Naruto growled, throwing out an arm as if to protect the girl. He had never felt so protective of anyone before and it puzzled him, but it just felt…right. It was like something drew him to her.

She wasn't like Sakura, though. He still had a crush on Sakura…or did he?

Meanwhile, back at the Hokage's office, the black clad shinobi was still looking for the young grandson of said shinobi leader.

"Blast it! Where is he this time?" he questioned, looking back and forth for the young boy.

"It would appear that he followed Naruto." The shinobi leader said as he pulled down his hat. The black clad shinobi gasped, not liking the sound of the honored grandson near Naruto.

"Naruto? That's awful!" he voice his thought by dashing out of the office.

'_That child is being ruined by overindulgence…' _the Hokage thought as he sighed, _'These ceaseless attempts at surprise attacks are a persecution to us all. But, this time Konohamaru may have bitten off more than he can chew…Naruto will undoubtedly drag him into some harebrained scheme…but, then again, I didn't foresee him becoming friends with the Dragon Princess.' _

The Hokage let out a soft smile, thinking about the young white haired female shinobi. _'I should have guessed it really. Naruto is the container of the Kyuubi while Iduna is the holder of something equal…or maybe more terrifying in power. I'm just glad that he's not a violent being.' _He thought.

Back with Naruto, the boy, and Iduna…Naruto was busy teaching the boy his signature move while the white haired female shinobi was resting on a log nearby. She wasn't sleeping, but merely resting while an arm was draped over her eyes so she didn't have to see the degrading technique her friend was teaching the boy.

While Naruto was teaching the boy, the black clad shinobi stood on top of a tall building. He was looking for his charge, a deep frown on his face.

'_I am part of the elite, one in a long and illustrious line of tutors who have prepared countless candidates for a possible future as next Lord Hokage.' _The dark clad shinobi thought while scanning the city for his charge.

'_I will crush any insect that dares cling to my student! Under my tutelage your future as Lord Hokage is assured.' _He continued to think with that frown still upon his face.

'_That is the shortest path, Honored Grandson!' _and with that last thought he flitted to where he sensed Naruto and the boy's chakra signatures. At the same time the boy and Naruto had settled down on the log behind the white haired female shinobi. She looked behind her shoulder and smiled as the two boys had a heart to heart.

"By the way…" the blond shinobi asked the boy, "What's your beef with the old man?" Iduna looked up at the young boy as Saiki let out a sad chirp. She rose and sat next to the boy, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. At first he stiffened drastically, but when he realized that she wasn't going to go anywhere he relaxed into her embrace.

"My name – Konohamaru…my Grandfather named me." the young boy, now known as Konohamaru, started in a defeated voice, "Like the village, right? He said it would bring me luck…but even though everyone knows that that's what I am called…no one ever calls me that!" he exclaimed angrily. It was good – the young boy was starting to vent out his emotions.

"It's always just 'Honored Grandson.' Just who I am related to." He scoffed, "And I hate it!" he exclaimed with a bitter look upon his young face. The white haired female shinobi's face fell as he revealed his answer. It was a lot like her past – when she was always referred to as the Dragon Princess. It was a stroke of luck that her parents decided to move to Konoha…but it was also a stroke of luck that she had been born a month after Naruto or else her mother would have taken her life when she took her own. Iruka did a brave thing adopting a baby. Her head perked up once again when she heard Konohamaru's voice once again.

"But it'll be different when I become Lord Hokage, and that's gonna be real soon." He said with a determined voice. The girl's grip tightened around his shoulder – how could he become a Hokage soon with skills like his? Not that he was weak or anything…he was just incredibly young.

"No way!" Naruto exclaimed, looking down at the ground, "Who'd respect a Hokage like you?" he questioned with a harsh voice.

"It's too big a name for such a little guy!" the blond shinobi prodded, angering the young boy. He growled at the blond shinobi, angry at the words he said to him. He threw off Iduna's arm and ignored her little protest. Naruto laughed and then insulted Konohamaru some more.

"You idiot!" Naruto exclaimed, "It won't be easy to win the Hokage name! You don't get it just because you want it! If you want to become Hokage that badly…" he trailed off, goading the boy on. The white haired female shinobi just looked at him and sighed, sensing where this was going.

"Well? What?" Konohamaru growled, angry that his idol was insulting him. His anger continued to grow until he saw the determined smirk that was on Naruto's face. His eyes glinted in the sunlight as he growled.

"You'll have to get past me first!" the blond shinobi smirked, sending chills up both Iduna and Konohamaru's spines. They sat there, stunned by the fierce determination and confidence that their idol was emitting.

Meanwhile, across the village, a certain Hokage was looking over the scenery of the village. He was atop of the monument, enjoying the wind and tranquility of the silence around him. suddenly, a one Umino Iruka landed behind him with a small smile on his face.

"Hokage-Sama! I've been looking all over for you." He said as he landed.

"Hello, Iruka." The powerful shinobi greeted without turning around. He, of course, had already recognized the chakra signature of the Chuunin warrior.

"Did Naruto and Iduna submit their shinobi registration?" the younger shinobi asked as he walked towards his revered leader.

"Yes." The Hokage answered, still looking over the village as the wind flapped away through his official robes.

"Yesterday I treated Naruto to a stern lecture over a bowl of ramen with Iduna-chan. He's been on cloud nine since he passed the test and both of them are excited about the new squads." Iruka began, "Naruto intends on becoming a full-fledged shinobi and earn the respect of everyone in the town. Iduna-chan hadn't decided whether or not she wants to become a medic-nin or a full-fledged shinobi as well." He finished, coming to stand beside his leader.

"That may be a difficult dream for both of them to realize." The Hokage said, still not looking at his Chuunin warrior.

"What?" Iruka questioned in surprise.

"Only we who were adults at the time of the Great Battle know the truth…" the Hokage started, "That the boy Naruto is the human form of the nine-tailed fox spirit – Kyuubi – that tormented our people until its defeat a dozen years ago." He said, eyes darkening as he remembered the faithful day that the Kyuubi was concealed.

"Disclosure of that secret is most strictly forbidden…under pain of the severest penalty our law can inflict." He continued his explanation, "As a result, the children of our village know nothing of the truth! Among his peers, at least Naruto's secret is secure. It was the fondest wish of the forth Hokage-Sama that our peole come to regard Naruto as their savior and hero. He made that wish for him, sealed the child's fate…and died."

Iruka stood, knowing everything that his leader was telling him was true.

"He selected a newborn child, the umbilical cord freshly cut, and bound up all the nine tails of the fox within the infant's navel. Naruto was sacrificed, for the safety of us all, to become a living vessel for the imprisonment of the fox." He continued, giving a great sigh.

"But that is not the way the adults who know chose to see it. Instead, their treatment of the boy is so contemptuous and hostile…it has been picked up on by children who have no idea of the truth…picked up and perpetuated!" he exclaimed with a heavy voice.

"Iruka…can you imagine...?" he trailed off, leaving the question out there.

"Imagine what?" the Chuunin questioned.

"How it must feel…so much hatred and hostility…to be treated with an animosity so intense as to be annihilating…to have around you many who would deny you even… the right to exist." He exhaled sadly, but the leader was not finished yet.

"But not many – if any nowadays – knew the true reason why the Kyuubi even attacked our village." He said, finally turning to look Iruka in the eye.

"The true reason?" the Chuunin question, feeling dread well up in his system.

"Yes. The true reason the Kyuubi attacked Konohagakure was because his best friend, the Dragon God Seiryuu, was sealed within a crystal hundreds of years before. The said crystal had been kept within a certain family…the Ryuujin family. Kyuubi found out that the crystal was travelling to Konoha with the leader of the clan, his wife, and his unborn child." He began, sensing the rising panic rising in Iruka's expression.

"He wanted the crystal back to free his best friend, however, when the crystal cracked it was harming the God more than freeing it. The dragon companion of the heir was killed, leading to Saitou's suicide, and a month later his daughter was born. You know this story from here, I believe." The Hokage said with a grim voice.

"I-yes. She was born and the sage Jiraya sealed the contents of the crystal into Iduna-chan…but a Dragon God? Really?" he whispered, eyes wide.

"Not just a Dragon God, Iruka. _The _Dragon God. The patron god of the Dragon Summons and Companions that the Ryuujin clan was blessed with. He is one of the four Cardinal Gods of our world along with the phoenix, Suzaku, the white tiger, Byakko, and the tortoise-serpent, Genbu…"

"But…why?" Iruka said, now immensely worried for his charge's life.

"Because she was destined to set him free." He said before turning around once again. Iruka turned to leave but was stopped by the Hokage's voice.

"Oh, and Iruka?" the Hokage said, looking towards him out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes, Hokage-Sama?" the Chuunin warrior bowed slightly.

"Do not mention this to her. She knows what is inside her most likely because of her bond with the ice dragon, but she will learn of her destiny on her own."

"So I'm just supposed to let her learn all of these things without helping her?" the Chuunin asked in a dark voice.

"No, Iruka. I'm asking you to be there for her as the older brother she sees you as. I'm afraid she'll see some dark times in the future." The old man sighed. Iruka nodded his head and disappeared, intending on thinking over the information he had received.

Meanwhile, the black clad shinobi had found Naruto, Iduna and Saiki, and Konohamaru.

"There you are!" he exclaimed, glaring down the two who dare lure the Honored Grandson away. Naruto cringed under the look he was giving them – it was the same ugly look that everyone in the village had given him.

"And now, Honored Grandson, it is time to return home." He said as he landed on the ground. Unfortunately, the boy had another idea.

"No way!" he exclaimed as Iduna stood up behind him. Saiki hissed threateningly at the oncoming shinobi, icy feathers sharpening. "Not yet! First I have to kick the old man's butt and become the next Lord Hokage. So get lost." He dismissed

"You heard him, loser!" Naruto exclaimed. Iduna stepped forward calmly and told the dark clad shinobi her opinion on things.

"The young Konohamaru doesn't need your advice when he has us teaching him. Be gone, fool." She calmly commented.

"The revered Lord Hokage know and understands the Eight Principles that are the cornerstone of all the knowledge of the shinobi: virtue, justice, ceremony, wisdom, loyalty, faithfulness, prudence, and filial piety!" he exclaimed, ignoring what both his charge and Iduna had to say, "He is master of over one thousand illusions, and…eh?" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Take that!" Konohamaru exclaimed, transforming into a thin naked woman, although she was a little too muscular for Iduna's taste. A dark flush appeared on her cheeks, but who was she to tell him that he couldn't learn a specific jutsu?

"Wha…wha…what a _vulgar _display!" he exclaimed, "Not fit for a gentleman's eyes! And I will not fall for it! And in front of a lady nonetheless!" he exclaimed, motioning towards Iduna. Faster than they could react, the dark clad shinobi had Konohamaru's scarf in his grasp.

"Honored Grandson! If you lower yourself to consort with creatures of this sort you will descend to his level! He is already trying to corrupt Ryuujin-hime!" he exclaimed. Naruto's eyes widened when the black clad shinobi called Iduna a princess, but said nothing about it.

"Only by following my teachings will you ever merit the name of Hokage!" the black clad shinobi exclaimed, "Now, let's go home." He growled, not noticing the other two shinobi start making hand symbols until they exclaimed their jutsus.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

"Baisuu Hiryuu no Jutsu!" the two of them said at the same time. Naruto summoned about twenty clones and Iduna summoned the same number of young dragons of various elements. The dragons were perched on the Naruto clones shoulders.

"Whoa!" Konohamaru exclaimed, "That is totally cool! Right?" he was so excited to be a witness to their techniques.

"Hah! Child's play." The black clad shinobi murmured, "No match for a superior teacher like myself! It would only fool a weak-minded idiot like Mizuki!" he continued, but he was a little intimidated by the dragons.

"Behold!" all of the Narutos exclaimed at once. All of the dragons, led by the small white dragon, Hakuryuu, took off to attack the black clad shinobi while all of the Naruto clones transformed into naked women.

"I call this my Harem Jutsu!" he exclaimed, making all of the women drape themselves over the black clad shinobi. Once he had gotten his nosebleed all under control, Iduna stepped up with Hakuryuu.

"Now, Hakuryuu! Attack!" he chirped and nodded his head, leading his fellow dragons in an assault on the unsuspecting black clad shinobi. Once that was finished, Konohamaru burst out in emotion.

"Blast it!" he exclaimed, "I failed to beat professor four-eyes again! Right?" he continued, eyes watering.

"All I want is a name that everyone will respect and I want it right now! Right?" he exclaimed, glaring at nothing. Naruto glared at the boy before hitting him on the back of his head.

"You think wanting it is all it takes?" he questioned harshly, "Dream on! You're talking about taking the name Hokage! That's the greatest shinobi in town, the one everyone respects!" the blond shinobi exclaimed angrily.

"My whole life, it's been one rotten thing after another! I even doubted myself!" he continued, eyes narrowing, "Only two people treat me with any kind of respect. One was almost impossible to win over and the second…" he trailed off looking at Iduna with an unreadable expression.

"The second is right here. I acknowledge Naruto as a great shinobi. He is the greatest in my eyes." Iduna explained in a matter of fact tone. Naruto's face flushed, but he turned to Konohamaru with a determined expression.

"Are you ready to make a commitment?" he asked the young shinobi.

"Commitment?" the young shinobi asked with a surprised expression.

"Everybody, and I do mean everybody, has the highest respect…for the honored Hokage name!" the blond shinobi ended, causing the young Konohamaru to flush in embarrassment. Suddenly, Naruto's expression changed from harsh to happy.

"Do you get it? There are no shortcuts!" he exclaimed. Konohamaru suddenly understood. He jumped back and started yelling at the blond boy.

"Where do you get off, lecturing me? You're not so hot! Right!" he exclaimed, "I'm not gonna be your disciple anymore!" he yelled as Iduna moved to stand beside the hyperactive blond.

"From this day forward we will be archrivals! And then _I _will become the object of Iduna-chan's affections!" the white haired female shinobi burst into laughter as she heard the last part of his statement, but it wasn't harsh. She wasn't making fun of him – it was a cute sentiment after all. Naruto grinned back at him, letting out a grunt of approval.

"It's your tough luck! From now on, I'll always be one step ahead of you, one step closer to my destiny as the finest shinobi!" he exclaimed, "But…heck! One day we'll fight over the name Hokage." He said. Iduna gave him a smile and a giggle before they turned to leave. Naruto hesitated after a few steps. He turned back and gave him one last piece of advice.

"You better look forward to that day…Konohamaru!" he said.

"And who knows? Maybe I'll become your fangirl instead." Iduna interjected, giggling as Naruto's eyes narrowed into slits.

"Fat chance." He said, grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers together. They left Konohamaru standing there with an awed expression on his face.

Yes, Iduna and Naruto were one fine pair indeed.


	5. Enter Sasuke

**Yeah, this was a short chapter...wasn't it? Weird. **

**Please vote on my poll.**

**Thanks to:**

**Elemental Dragon Swordman - Thanks. I was trying to get that special bond to start forming between Naruto and Iduna, though Kakashi would have to have a bond with her, too, since he's her sensei now...huh. =D Anyway, you'll get to see some of Iduna's cousins during the Chuunin Exams later on. I was thinking lightning, wood, and poison and then have one or two of them drop out to make the solo fights in the Chuunin Exams equal or something.**

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Chapter Four

**Enter Sasuke**

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The early morning sun shone down upon the Hidden Leaf Village, warmth spreading through the people travelling through its many streets. The day was nice and sunny as a certain blond haired shinobi woke for the day. He completed his morning routine – showering and then drinking a glass of milk and eating a piece of toast for breakfast before dressing – while he was still half asleep. He didn't snap awake until he realized he was putting on his goggles instead of his newly earned Hitai-ate. The blond shinobi switched the two items and just minutes later he found himself at the academy. He snickered in his seat, too caught up in the feeling of accomplishment to realize that Iduna wasn't there yet.

It was strange for she was always the first student to arrive. It was part of the perks of living with their sensei.

"Naruto!" one boy exclaimed, "What are you doing here? Class today is only for the students who didn't fail!" the boy continued in a disbelieving tone. The blond shinobi only grinned back at the other boy.

"What?" he yelled in his excitement, "Can't you see the headband?" he continued, jerking a thumb towards his hitai-ate. The two continued to bicker back and forth until a feminine voice interrupted them.

"Excuse me, may I pass?" she asked them. Naruto flushed – it was his 'crush', Haruno Sakura. She was fairly pretty with her unique shade of pink hair and pretty green eyes. her beauty rivaled that of Iduna's in Naruto's opinion…although he had to admit that Iduna's kindness and always cheerful personality was much more endearing than Sakura's only-obsessed-about-one-person attitude. But, then again, could Naruto even stand a chance with the white haired female shinobi? He didn't think so and he continued to convince himself that his crush was on the pink haired beauty. He continued to stare at the female, but by doing so he incurred her wrath.

"Naruto, move it!" she all but shrieked at the blond boy. He jerked back, shocked by her tone of voice and subconsciously comparing her screaming voice to Iduna's melodious one.

"I'm trying to get around you!" Sakura screamed again, pointing to the spot behind him. He hadn't realized that he was sitting next to the school heartthrob, Uchiha Sasuke. The dark haired male was pretty good looking – according to all the girls, including Iduna – but at least he knew that his only friend didn't harbor any romantic feelings for him.

Suddenly, the dark haired shinobi snapped his head to the side in order to stare at the blue eyed boy.

"You want something?" he hissed, sending a dark glare in his direction. Naruto instantly scowled back, missing the calming effect that Iduna's chakra had on him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he growled back, "Are you talking to me?" his voice rose as he rose from his seat. He was effectively cut off from the argument as Sakura pounced on the blond shinobi's head.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun. Is this seat taken?" she giggled. She shoved Naruto out of the way so that they were now in reversed positions. The pink haired female shinobi was now sitting next to her dream boy, much to the irritation of the rest of the females of the class. Naruto growled, hopping up on the desk to stare into the dark haired shinobi's face.

"Naruto, you jerk!" Sakura exclaimed, eyes narrowed and a vein throbbing on her forehead.

"Leave Sasuke-kun alone!" she screamed at the blond boy. Her red shinobi dress tightened around her upper body as she leaned forward, giving Naruto her best death glare. The two boys continued to glare at each other and because of the rising tension in the room, nobody noticed when a certain white haired female shinobi came scrambling through the doors at the last minute. Her hair was flowing down her back in gentle waves and the two hair sticks that were usually present in her hair were in her hands. Iduna's outfit was also different. Instead of her normal outfit, she was wearing a black fighting kimono that reached her knees – icy blue dragons snaked around the eight inch long sleeves – with a white obi belt wrapped around her petit waist. Semi-tight pants and a fishnet top were underneath the fighting kimono.

"Sakura-san…what are Naruto and Sasuke-san doing?" she questioned as Saiki entered the room and landed on the desk in front of the young female shinobi. Sakura turned at the sound of Iduna's voice and her eyes widened – the white haired female shinobi looked exceptionally pretty in her fighting kimono.

"Oh wow…Iduna-san, you look so pretty in that kimono. Where'd you get it?" she questioned the white haired girl.

"Oh, this? It is a tradition in my clan to wear these fighting kimonos. Since my element is ice, the dragons on my kimono are icy blue." She explained to her and the other girls who had come up to compliment her.

"Your element?" one asked.

"Yes…it's a thing in my clan. My cousin, Akari, is a wind element and so she has orange dragons…or my other cousin Raikou is lightning so he has dark yellow dragons." She explained.

"Oh, so the color represents your element." Sakura said with a smile, "But why don't you keep your hair down more often?" she asked. Unknown to both of the girls, Sasuke and Naruto had stopped their glaring contest and strained to hear what the Dragon Princess had to say. Since Naruto wasn't paying attention to his surroundings – he was instead too busy being stunned by how beautiful his best friend looked in her fighting kimono and was watching her as she put her hair into its normal braided bun – he was easily shoved forward when the boy sitting in the row in front of him knocked into him. The boy turned around and apologized, but the rest of the clas was stunned by the accident. The accident caused Naruto and Sasuke to kiss!

"Naruto! I had no idea that you swung that way!" the white haired female shinobi snickered, secretly enjoying the blond haired shinobi's misfortune. Why couldn't she have a little fun as well?

"Naruto, you piece of crap, you are dead!" Sasuke choked while Naruto managed to gag out a "Poison! My mouth is ruined!"

Unfortunately, Sakura saw this as her chance to beat the living daylights out of the troublemaker. Fortunately for him, Saiki managed to scare her off him before she could do any real damage. It seemed like she was afraid of the dragon. Iduna sat down next to the blond shinobi and smiled as Iruka entered the room. He smiled back and started his speech.

"From this day forward, you are no longer mere students of ninjutsu, but full-fledged shinobi. But, among the ranks of shinobi, you are mere novices, lowest of the low. Your greatest challenges all lie ahead. The next step is the assignment of official duties to you all on behalf of our village." He started, looking each child in the eye.

"We will begin by dividing you into three-man cells. Each of which will be mentored by a Jonin, a more senior shinobi…who will guide and coach you as you become familiar with your various assignments." He finished explaining with a slight chuckle. He knew that his students were impatient to see who they would be teaming up with, but a certain Uchiha thought that the two cell mates he would get would only drag him down.

"I made the selections so that each cell's abilities would be appproximaely equal and since we have an uneven amount of students, one cell will receive four of them." Iruka said to the class, waving his clipboard in the air. He read through the cells until he reached number seven.

"Next, cell number seven. Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto cheered at his – but he felt strangely hollow inside – while Sakura only groaned in disappointment, "Uchiha Sasuke," Naruto and Sakura's positions reversed themselves. Naruto obviously didn't realize that cell seven was going to be the one to receive the fourth member.

"Iruka-sensei! What were you thinking of, saddling a most excellent shinobi like myself with that loser?" the blond yelled, much to the annoyance of both Iruka and Sakura…and pretty much the rest of the female shinobis in their class besides Iduna.

"You didn't let me finish, Naruto, but of the twenty eight of you, Sasuke has the best grades. Naruto…you would be at the bottom of the class. The idea is to balance your different strengths…that's why you ended up together," Iruka started to explain, "And Sakura has excellent intellectual grades, but her physical skill is almost dead last. This is why I'm also assigning Ryuujin Iduna to squad seven. She is average intellectually, but above average in taijutsu and very strong in ninjutsu." He completed his explanation.

Iduna looked up in surprise, both flattered by the compliments that her surrogate brother had given her and happy that she was on Naruto's team.

"Just don't drag me down." Was all that Naruto heard Sasuke say and he immediately began yelling. Iduna frowned – happy moment gone.

"What did you call me?" Naruto shouted before Sakura slapped him upside the head saying that he should just knock it off. Iruka just sighed before plastering a smile to his face once again.

"Okay, everyone. I'll be introducing your senior ninjutsu instructors this afternoon. Until then, you're dismissed!" he said, smile still plastered across his face. Everyone cheered and left besides Iduna, who usually helped Iruka during their recess/lunch.

"Iruka-nii? Did you really mean that I was good at ninjutsu and taijutsu? I always thought that I was average." She said, looking down at her shoes. The teacher looked at his surrogate sister with a saddened expression. He came to kneel in front of her.

"As long as you possess your kekkei genkai you will always be leagues ahead of everyone else." He said, lightly touching the area above her heart where a snowflake birthmark was marring her skin. "I'm just so sorry that you had to learn how to control it when you were so oung," he continued, remembering the time Iduna's uncle sent an assassin to kill her for Seiryuu's Crystal. Nobody knew that Seiryuu was, instead, sealed within the girl's body.

"Do you think the others would accept me if I told them about my dragon form?" she questioned with hopeful eyes. Iruka smiled and nodded his head.

"Of course they would. Now, let's eat." He said, giving her one of the bentos she prepared that morning.

Meanwhile, Naruto was trying to come up with a plan to embarrass Sasuke. He thought ferociously while he chewed his sandwich before suddenly becoming struck with an idea. He knew that Sasuke let his guard down when he was eating so he took his chance when the dark haired figure was snacking on an onigiri of his own. Naruto tied him up with a rope and dragged him into an empty room while yelling at him to keep quiet. Then, using a Henge – that was quite good despite what he showed in class – he took on the guise of the dark haired shinobi and took off in search of Sakura, who he, once again, had to convince himself was the girl he harbored feelings for.

He found her sitting on a bench near the Academy, enjoying himself as he leaned up against a tree and stared at her with Sasuke's smoldering eyes. He smirked as she caught him staring at her, a dark blush blossoming across her cheeks. She started to daydream about Sasuke kissing her, but the daydream was broken by his actual voice despite the fact that he was actually Naruto in disguise.

"You have such a noble brow." Sakura was shocked by the fact that this was exactly what the Sasuke in her daydream had said, "So charming…I could kiss it!" and with that said it was like all of her dreams were coming true…until the disguised Naruto said, "That's probably what Naruto would say." He said and Sakura physically deflated. He sat down next to her on the bench.

"Sakura, I have to know…" he started as his heart started beating harder.

"Yes?" she asked, prompting him to continue.

"What do you think of Naruto?" he quickly questioned. Sakura was silent for a few moments before she responded angrily.

"He ruins everything…he enjoys tormenting me! if he had his way, I'd never find love or happiness…" she said in a dark voice, "Naruto doesn't understand me at all! I can't stand to have him anywhere near me! in fact, the one person whose opinion I value…the only one I really want to be close to…is you, Sasuke." And it was then that Naruto's heart panged true. It was then that he realized that he was always finding faults in Sakura and was always comparing her to Iduna…but he couldn't help from leaning in to kiss the pretty pink haired female shinobi.

"I'd do almost anything to win your attention…your respect…because I have a crush on you." She said as she leaned closer to the disguised Naruto. As their lips were about to kiss, however, his stomach churned painfully. He jerked up and rushed to the bathroom, leaving a stunned Sakura behind. Suddenly, she giggled, thinking that he was just shy and needed to gather up the courage to kiss him.

Instead, Naruto had to rush to the bathroom.

"That was a close one!" he exclaimed to himself in the bathroom, "My stomach cramped so badly it almost broke the illusion!" he said to himself, but deep down he was feeling miserable. A really pretty girl just told him that she couldn't stand him! Although he admitted to himself that it was Iduna that he really liked…it was still hard on him.

It was then and there that he vowed to make Sakura hate Sasuke. He didn't like how the Uchiha heir acted and yet all of the girls still went gaga over him. What he didn't know, however, was that Sasuke had gotten free. He walked past Sakura not knowing that Naruto had just been there disguised as him.

"Sasuke!" the pink haired girl exclaimed, "My sweet old-fashioned boy! Did you summon up your nerve?" she questioned him, still thinking that he was going to kiss her.

"I'm right here, ready and waiting!" she continued with a squeal. He only looked at her with a nonchalant expression.

"Recess is over." He quietly said, "Where's that dick, Naruto?" he roughly asked.

"You're changing the subject again! Can't we get away from Naruto for just one second?" she asked exasperatedly, "He always comes between us!" she said as Sasuke gave her a weird look.

"It's because he was badly brought up!" she exclaimed, not noticing the glare the dark haired shinobi had sent her way. How dare she talk about orphans like that? Didn't she realize she had just inadvertently insulted him as well?

"You know…because he never had any parents?" he quietly questioned her.

"He doesn't have to answer to anyone, ever, and it's made him completely selfish! If I did the kinds of things he gets away with, my parents would ground me for life!" she bragged with a scoff.

"Don't you envy him being alone, not having parents nag at you all the time?" she finished with a shrug. Sasuke felt his loathing grow.

"He isn't the only one without parents in our class. What about Ryuujin Iduna…or me?" he quietly questioned, "Kids without families always grow up selfish. That, and lonely." He continued, shocking the pink haired girl.

"But Iduna has Iruka-sensei." She scoffed, "And my parents are annoying." She sighed.

"Being scolded by your folks doesn't even compare!" he ground out, trying to get his point across.

"Wha…what's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Sakura questioned as Sasuke turned around with a harsh glare.

"You…make me sick!" he hissed at her. She was shocked at the relevation, but the dark haired boy only walked away.

Naruto finished his time in the bathroom and quickly rushed down the hallway. He ran into Sasuke on the way and skidded to a stop.

"What are you doing here?" he exclaimed, pointing to the dark haired shinobi.

"A simple rope trick. Any good shinobi is an escape artist." Sasuke replied with a smirk, "Try to keep that in mind…_Dunce_." He said. The two of them continued to argue as Iduna opened the door to their classroom and just sighed with a smile. It looked like she would have her hands full with her team.

All the way across town, two men had infiltrated the safety of Naruto's apartment. One was tall and had a head full of silver hair. He wore the normal garb of a Jonin and was currently holding Naruto's milk.

"This is Naruto's house isn't it?" he questioned the other male, the Hokage.

"Yes." The village leader replied, "He's clumsy, but you're the best choice to watch him. you have a talent for sniffing things out. What's more, another member of the cell you shall oversee will be Sasuke, of the Uchiha clan…and then there's Iduna, heiress of the Ryuujin clan." The silver haired male's eye widened at the sound of Iduna's clan name – his other eye was covered by his hitai-ate.

"I'll do my best." Was all that the silver haired Jonin said to the Hokage. He would have his hands full…especially if Iduna was anything like Uindo, her older cousin who was his age. He was a wind element and full of spunk – his dragon partner, Kaze, seemed to particularly like messing with the silver haired Jonin's mind. It was a pity that all of the kekkei genkai users were called back to the Ryuujin house a ways away from Konoha…but that didn't mean that Iduna _wasn't _a Dragoon…he would just have to see.


	6. Hatake Kakashi Knows a Secret

**Thanks to:**

**Elemental Dragon Swordsman - haha, yeah. Kaze is the wind dragon...who is a bit like Naruto. And I'll let you in on a little secret - Ryuujin Uindo (the wind kekkei genkai holder) might be a teacher with three students in the Chuunin exams (I might have one hurt so Iduna can take their place so it can be equal groups of three).**

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**Chapter Five**

**Hatake Kakashi Knows a Secret**

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It was time for team seven to finally meet their Jonin instructor, but whoever it was happened to be several hours late.

Naruto was busy sticking his head out into the hallway, craning his neck to see if he could spot their sensei. It was growing later by the minute and Naruto was getting increasingly irritated. Sakura was just inside the door, glaring at the back of the blond shinobi's jacket. She, too, had become increasingly irritated, but her irritation was caused by her shorter teammate's behavior.

Sasuke was sitting by himself, eyes closed, but he would occasionally open his eyes to take a curious glance at the icy dragon snoozing on top of the desk that Iduna was sitting on. She was staring curiously at Naruto's back while tugging absently at her obi-belt.

Finally, Sakura had endured enough of Naruto's antics.

"Cut it out, Naruto!" she exclaimed, giving him one of her best death glares. The blond shinobi returned the look with an agitated one of his own.

"Why are we the only cell whose teacher hasn't shown up yet?" he grumbled closing the sliding door. He calmed down for a few moments, but then he stuck his head back into the hallway.

"Cut it out, Naruto!" Sakura shouted once again, much to the displeasure of the white haired kunoichi. She shifted forward from her seat on the desk as a frown formed on her face.

"Leave him be, Sakura-san. He's only curious and frustrated." Iduna said, coming to Naruto's defense. Both Sasuke and Sakura were shocked, but they were so for different reasons. Sakura was shocked that someone would stand up for someone so annoying and Sasuke was shocked that someone from such a powerful family would stand up for someone so weak. Sakura was going to say something, but then she noticed that Saiki was staring at her with his piercing eyes.

"Ahh! Stop it!" she shrieked, "Iduna-chan! Tell that…that lizard to stop staring at me!" the pink haired kunoichi screeched. Iduna stood from her seat on the desk, Sasuke opened his eyes, and Naruto snapped his head back into the classroom. Saiki puffed himself out to his full length, giving the girl a chilling glare as his icy feathers started to bristle together. The temperature in the room started to drop as Iduna stared at Sakura.

"Saiki. Is. A. **Dragon**." Iduna hissed, eyes narrowed. She hated when people called her Dragon Companion a lizard. It simply isn't so. After a few moments the tension was cut, but the white haired kunoichi remained standing.

"All the other teams have already gone off with their teachers. Even Iruka-sensei has gone!" Naruto pouted, wanting nothing more than their teacher to hurry up and arrive. Iduna and Sasuke turned their attention towards the bickering pair once again when Sakura started to complain.

"Hey! What are you up to, Naruto?" she hissed at him while he stood upon an extra desk that happened to be beside the sliding door. Naruto had successfully balanced one of the chalkboard erasers between the two sliding doors. Iduna looked on with a slight smile on her face while Sakura continued to glare at him.

"It's what he gets for making us wait!" the blond shinobi defended himself while he jumped from the desk. Sakura still didn't look too pleased.

"I want no part of it!" Sakura declared while Iduna only shook her head.

"Sakura-san, we'll be guilty by association so there's really no way to avoid punishment." The white haired kunoichi supplied.

No way could a superior shinobi be caught by such a simple booby trap!" the Uchiha decided that he would give them his opinion as well. Shortly after he had finished speaking, a hand appeared in the crack between the sliding doors. Instead of dodging the eraser, like the four young ones thought, he didn't move and he was hit on the head by the dusty object. Sakura immediately apologized after Naruto burst into laughter. Iduna successfully hid her giggles with her kimono sleeve.

"I'm sorry, Sensei. I tried to stop him, but Naruto…" she trailed off when the silver haired shinobi started to rub his chin.

"Hm…how shall I put this?" he mused, "Based on my first impression, I'd have to say – I hate you all." The silver haired Jonin spat out those four words with as much force as he could. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke all looked at him with horrified expressions, but the white haired kunoichi just giggled and shok her head. She had heard about the other teachers from Iruka and she had also learned about Kakashi's dramatic tendencies. The older man was, by far, one of her favorite Jonin senseis.

After the five shinobi sat there and stared at one another for a few moments, the silver haired adult told the four Genin to meet him up on the roof. Once everyone was completely situated, he started to talk.

"Now I'd like you all to tell us a little about yourselves." The older man explained in a lazy, laid back manner.

"Like what?" Iduna asked him, cocking her head to the side. Saiki was draped around her shoulders in a lazy fashion, but his Mistress didn't seem to mind.

"You know…" the older man said while shrugging, "The usual. Your favorite thing, what you hate the most. Dreams, ambitions, hobbies. Things like that." He continued, closing his eye. it was almost like he didn't care about them at all. Iduna supposed that it could be true. He was a stranger to them, after all. The four Genin looked at him, but the white haired kunoichi debated on how much information was safe to reveal to her new team when they were out in the open. There were ANBU listening everywhere.

"Help us out here," Naruto said as he placed his arms behind his head, "You go first. Show us how it's done." He continued staring at the older shinobi.

"That's right," Sakura said, lifting her chin from her knees, "You're a complete stranger to us…a mystery." She continued, voicing her fellow female teammate's thoughts.

"Oh, me?" their Jonin sensei asked, "My name is Hatake Kakashi." He said, finally revealing his name.

"I'm the kind of person who doesn't feel like talking about his likes and dislikes! My dreams for the future are none of your business…but anyway. I have lots of hobbies," he trailed off. Sakura glared at him and turned to whisper to the others.

"Hey…he said a lot…but all we really learned was his name." she whispered, earning a chortle from Iduna and a small his from the dragon that had moved from his Mistress' shoulders to her lap.

"Now, it's your turn. Starting with you on the right." Kakashi stated, motioning for Naruto to start talking.

"Me, right?" the hyperactive blond exclaimed, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! What I like is instant cup ramen and Iduna-chan!" he said the last part without thinking. Iduna played it off, however, thinking that he only liked her as a friend.

"What I like even better is when Iruka-sensei treats me to ramen at the Ichiraku Noodle Bar!" he exclaimed once again. Kakashi looked at the blond shinobi with a blank expression, wondering how one boy could like ramen so much.

"What I hate is the three minute wait after I pour in the boiling water." he continued, not noticing the odd looks the others were giving him, "My dreams…I have two. One…is to one day be a better shinobi than Hokage-sama! And then all the villagers will have to acknowledge my existence at last!" the declaration was a powerful one and the comment seemed to have changed Kakashi's mind about him.

"And the second?" the silver haired Jonin prompted, looking at him curiously with his one eye.

"My second…is to protect Iduna until she feels she no longer needs my protection." He declared, drawing a surprised gasp from the white haired kunoichi's lips.

"Naruto…" she whispered before a grin spread across her face. She leaned over and gave him a one armed hug.

"Thanks." She whispered, not noticing the small blush that dusted across the blond boy's cheeks.

"My hobbies are pranks and practical jokes, I guess…" he mumbled, still a bit embarrassed by this best friend's actions.

"Alright. You. Next to Naruto." Kakashi pointed at the white haired kunoichi. She looked back at him for a split second before nodding and smiling.

"My name is Ryuujin Iduna. My likes include Naruto, Saiki, Iruka-nii, and my cousins. I also like ice, snow, and I like to stargaze on clear nights." She said with a small blush. Nobody knew that she liked to stargaze. She smiled, however, when Kakashi's eyebrow twitched when she mentioned her cousins.

"My dislikes…I don't like it when people call Saiki a 'lizard' and I don't like being underestimated. I don't like large bodies of water. I especially don't like it when people make fun or insult Naruto." She continued. Naruto's eyes were wide. He had no idea that she felt this way.

"My dream is to become strong enough to accept the title my clan bestowed upon me when I went to visit them in order to receive Saiki. I want to become worthy of the title 'Dragon Princess'." Iduna said with a determined expression. Sasuke and Sakura looked at her with confusion.

"Dragon Princess?" Sakura asked, eyes narrowed in both confusion and thought.

"I am the heiress to the Ryuujin clan, Sakura-san." The white haired kunoichi explained with a smile. She decided that she could trust them. They were going to be her teammates after all.

"Anyaway, my hobbies include hanging out with Naruto and inventing techniques to use with my kekkei genkai." She finished with a smile. Kakashi smiled under his mask. Iruka and the Hokage hadn't been wrong when they said she was an interesting person.

"Wait," Sasuke's slightly deeper voice echoed through the open area. The three other Genin looked back at him.

"If you are the heiress then why aren't you training at the Ryuujin Compound with your cousins? Why live with Iruka-sensei?" he questioned her with a hardened gaze.

"Because my uncle and temporary Head of Clan wants me to be dead. He wants to be the permanent Head of Clan, but doesn't have enough supports to siege the village." Iduna whispered, hanging her head. He nodded, accepting her answer, but what they didn't know was that Kakashi still had contact with his old friend from time to time and he was told that the other eleven blessed with the clan's kekkei genkai were on Iduna's side.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are plenty of things I hate, but I don't see that it matters, considering there is almost nothing I like." The raven haired shinobi said, hands clasped in front of his mouth.

"It seems pointless to talk about 'dreams'. That's just a word. But what I do have is a determination. I plan to restore my clan. And there's someone I have sworn…to kill." Naruto and Sakura turned back to the Uchiha heir with identical looks of surprise, but the Dragon Princess just sighed sadly. Saiki raised his head and blew a steady stream of ice towards the raven haired shinobi. It was the little dragon's way of expressing his emotion.

"And finally, the other young lady." Kakashi said, waiting for her to introduce herself.

"I am Haruno Sakura. My favorite thing is…well, it's not a thing, it's a person…a boy…and that boy is…" the pink haired kunoichi trailed off with a squeal. Saiki hissed in disappointment and Iduna leaned away from her. Another thing she despised, but failed to mention, were fangirls. Especially fangirls that fawned over one boy, but wouldn't give another one the light of day.

"Uh…let's move on to my dream." And another squeal and a harsh blush spread across her face. Iduna scooted even further to the side – her squealing was beginning to hurt her ears.

"Sakura!" she hissed, earning a glare from the pink haired girl.

"I hate Naruto!" Sakura suddenly exclaimed, angering the white haired kunoichi so much that it dropped a few degrees in their general area despite the fact that they were outside.

"My hobbies are…" and Sakura giggled once again. Iduna had heard enough. How was her female teammate going to become an experienced kunoichi when the only thing she would focus on was Sasuke? Before she could confront the other girl, Kakashi held up a hand.

"Enough," he said, "I believe we all understand one another. Formal training begins tomorrow." This excited the young blond shinobi.

"Yes, sir! What will our duties be?" he questioned as Iduna popped up beside him.

"Our first real shinobi mission!" she sighed, still happy that she was placed on the same team as Naruto. Sasuke was alright, but the Dragon Princess could hardly stand Sakura's obsessive qualities when it came to the Uchiha heir. But, for the sake of remaining a shinobi, she would try to withstand the annoying pink haired girl.

"Our first project involves only the members of this cell." Their Jonin sensei explained. The blond haired boy eagerly leaned forward as the grin on his face became even larger.

"What is it? What?" the orange clad boy exclaimed, hardly able to contain his excitement.

"Survival exercises." The silver haired adult replied, a hint of boredness vacant in his voice. It was like he was expecting the four of them to chicken out any moment. Iduna narrowed her eyes at Kakashi, absently stroking the small tufts of fur that lined Saiki's back. The small dragon liked it when she did that. Well, she wasn't the type of person to back down from a challenge.

"Survival excercises?" Naruto groaned while Sakura visibly deflated.

"But why would that be our mission? Our school days were full of survival training" the pink haired kunoichi exclaimed, voice full of irritation.

"But you'll have to survive against me." the silver haired Jonin calmly said, "It won't be your typical practice." He continued, eying the small dragon that was now sending small streams of icy breath in his general direction. It was an innocent gesture compared to what the wind dragon put him through, but Kakashi was cautious all the same.

"Well, then what kind of practice will it be?" Naruto questioned, still annoyed that the cell had to undergo more survival exercises. In his opinion, they had endured enough of those exercises from Iruka. Unfortunately for them, Kakashi started to laugh. Iduna's eyes widened – she knew that he was weird, but she didn't know that the silver haired Jonin would burst into laughter over the smallest thing.

"What are you laughing about, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura demanded of their teacher. Her response was a smirk, not that the four Genin could actually see it, and cold words.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that if I told you, you'd chicken out." He casually responded, shrugging his shoulders as he did so.

"Chicken out? Why?" the hyperactive blond shinobi was uncharacteristically quiet after hearing his teacher's respose.

"Of the twenty-eight members of your graduating class, only a maximum of ten will be accepted as junior level shinobi." Kakashi started to explain, "The other eighteen must go back for more training." He continued, letting the words sink into his pupil's minds.

"The test we are about to perform has a high percent rate of failure." He finished, grinning underneath his mask at the shocked expression on the Genin's faces. He started to laugh once more.

"See? You're chickening out already!" he sighed with mirth before Naruto opened his loud mouth once again.

"That sucks!" he exclaimed, "We have been through hell! What about our graduation test?" he continued as he thought about how he earned his hitai-ate. It was the night that Iduna fought for him, was injured for him, and the night that he vowed that he would never stand by and watch her become hurt while he could help it ever again. Iduna was also remembering that day, but to her it was the day that she vowed to become strong enough to accept the title of the Dragon Princess.

"Oh!" Kakashi made a sound of mock remembrance, "We wanted to eliminate all the hopeless cases from your ranks. The ones who are left are the only students who show true potential." The Jonin sensei explained, eying each of his students carefully.

"In any event, we'll meet tomorrow morning on the practice field so that I can evaluate each of your skills and weaknesses." The silver haired man finished explaining, "Bring all of your shinobi tools and weapons. And don't have breakfast beforehand…unless you enjoy throwing up." He said as he hopped off of the railing he had been leaning against. He walked towards his students and pulled out four sheets of paper from his pockets.

"The details of the assignment are in this handout. Memorize it and don't be late!" he warned them with his unwavering gaze.

"Throw up?" Sakura worried, "How hard is this exercise going to be?"

"Sakura." Iduna simply stated as she looked towards the pink haired girl, "Quit complaining and do what Kakashi-sensei asks of you…within reason, of course." She said, giving the silver haired male an exasperated look. Once Sakura started to complain, it was almost impossible to calm her down. With one more glance from their Jonin instructor, they were dismissed.

For the rest of the day, the four Genin prepared for their survival exercise. Sakura skipped dinner due to her diet and Sasuke was cocky about the whole thing. Naruto spent the evening beating up a plush that happened to resemble their Jonin sensei quite a bit. Iduna, however, was spending a special night with her surrogate brother. He had cooked an early dinner for the two of them, which was a shocker because Iduna almost always cooked.

"Iduna-chan." He told her after dinner, "I have two things for you. Think of them as graduation gifts." He said, leading her over to the small couch they had in the living area. There was a long box and a letter on top of it and a smaller box on top of the bigger box.

"The big box is from your cousins and the smaller box is from me." the chocolate haired shinobi gave her a nervous smile. It was like he was nervous about something.

"What should I open first?" she questioned, giving her surrogate brother a smile. He chuckled nervously again and picked up the box from him before shoving the bigger box in her direction. It was like he was nervous about his gift.

"You know I don't have as much money as your cousins, but I want to save my gift for last." He said. She nodded and reached for the envelope first. She read the letter aloud.

"_Kesshite akiremenai. __Mo ryū wa sutā toshite kagayaku koto ga dekimasu. Kibō de wa, anata no fuan o kokufuku suru koto ga dekiru to natte anata ga hontōni iru purinsesu. O makase o tomodachi ni, wareware wa anata ga seikō suru koto o shitte imasu. Ai, Nokori no 11 ryūkihei, anata no itoko."_ She read aloud*. She stopped, looking inside the envelope. There was another piece of paper.

"Huh." She murmured as she pulled out the piece of paper as a tear trickled down her eye from the note and a smile formed on her face. Iruka was watching her with a smile on his face as well. She read the paper and realized it was a check. A check for one hundred million yen**.

"Oh my God." She said, handing the check to Iruka, whose jaw promptly dropped.

"Wait," she suddenly said, "Who is Ryuujin Noriko?" she questioned, looking at Iruka. He looked down at her with surprised eyes.

"She is your aunt and wife of Ryuujin Hiroshi…" he slowly said.

"But then…why would she send me money?" she questioned before suddenly smiling, "But it doesn't matter. We're moving into a new apartment!" she giggled at Iruka's stunned face. He looked at her for a moment before breaking out in a huge grin.

"It would be rude not to accept, wouldn't it?" he agreed. He then pushed the gift box towards her. "It came by special delivery – along with the note – by shinobi." He explained.

The white haired shinobi gasped as she opened the wooden box that lay underneath the wrapping. Inside lay a weapon that was literally perfect for her. A shakujo. It was a long staff mainly carried by monks, but this one had certain modifications on it. A large crescent blade was on one end, but it was connected to the shaft of the staff by a chain. The chain was coiled up within the shaft, and the other end was a flat blade. It was a silver color and there was a dragon engraved on the shaft of the staff.

"Your cousins each have a different type of weapon and they remembered that you said you liked your grandfather's shakujo. It is a tradition in the Ryuujin family that new Genin received a weapon. They made one with modifications for you." The older man explained. She smiled widely and put it back in the case – she would have to train with TenTen in order to learn how to wield it better, but she had learned the basics at the Ryuujin Compound.

Iduna had been to the Ryuujin Compound only once in her entire life and it had been for one year. She was five years old, the time that all Ryuujin members received their Dragon Companions. It had been a hectic time, but she had learned how to wield a shakujo…but it had been a long time since she had even seen one.

"I'll have to write each of my cousins a thank-you note." She murmured before looking expectantly at the little box in her surrogate brother's hand. He looked between the shakujo and his little box and then sighed. He handed her the box and it was like he expected her to like her cousin's gift better than his.

She opened the little box and gasped – Iruka had given her a new pair of hair sticks. They were both black and one had a small orange fox on it while the other had an ice-blue dragon. She looked up at her surrogate brother with tears in her eyes.

"Iruka-nii…" she whimpered before launching herself at the man. She took him by surprise and wrapped her arms around his neck. He laughed at her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"That's not all, Iduna-chan." He explained, "It has a special liquid in it that can heal any type of wound. It took me a long, long time to find something like that…but it will ease my nerves when you go on missions." He said with a sigh.

"Thank you, Iruka-nii." She said, eyes drooping. It was time for her to go to bed. She gave her surrogate brother a kiss on the cheek and he told her he would place the weapon by the door. Within thirty minutes, she had gone to sleep.

The next morning, the four Genin had to wait a total of four hours before their Jonin sensei finally approached them. They were all bright and early, but Kakashi didn't care. Iduna was even wearing her new shakujo on her back and her new hair sticks, but it looked like she wouldn't be able to use them right away.

"Good morning, class!" he greeted, waving his hand. Two out of the four students yelled at him, accusing him of being late, but he barely gave a damn. Instead, he set down an alarm clock and pushed the top down.

"I've set this alarm to go off at noon." He explained to the four questioning Genin. They looked at him with slightly wide eyes.

"I have here two small bells…your challenge is to steal these from me before the timer sounds. Anyone who fails…doesn't get any lunch." The silver haired Jonin explained even further, "Instead, you will be tied to that tree stump, so I can eat your lunch in front of you." He said with a cackle. The four Genin just gawked at him, not believing that he would eat their lunch. Saiki had started to glare at the silver haired adult, disapproving of his teaching method.

"All you need is just one bell apiece, but since there aren't enough to go around, two of you are definitely headed for the stump." Kakashi drawled, jingling the bells together, "Two of you are on your way back to school and disgrace, and whoever they are will be the first of you to fail." He said harshly. Naruto was nervous, but he was also determined as well. He would get a bell…and he would get the other one for Iduna. Sasuke be damned and Sakura didn't matter anymore.

"You may, if you choose, use shuriken. Iduna, you can use your shakujo since it's your main weapon. Attack as though you mean to kill or you'll never stand a chance." He instructed, grinning under his mask as the white haired kunoichi nodded her head.

"But…but that's so dangerous!" Sakura protested.

"Sakura-san, shut up!" Iduna growled, getting tired of her female companion's attitude.

"You couldn't even dodge an eraser! You're gonna get yourself killed!" Naruto bragged, raising his arms and placing them behind his head.

"Only the weak speak loudly." Kakashi commented, "Now, let's forget the Dunce, and we'll start on my signal!" the silver haired Jonin said. Naruto's eyebrow started twitching and he ripped a kunai knife out of its holster. He twirled it around his finger before snapping it into place in his hand. Using his anger to fuel his speed, he dashed towards Kakashi.

It wasn't enough.

Kakashi slapped the blond haired shinobi's wrist, twisting it so that facing the other way. At the same time he grabbed the back of Naruto's head and twisted the kunai even further so that it was mere inches from Naruto's neck.

"Not so fast." Kakashi said, "I didn't say 'go.'"

Sakura was shocked and a little bit frightened. Sasuke smirked, feeling like Kakashi might have been more of an elite than he thought before. Naruto smirked, feeling challenged. Iduna sighed and then grinned, feeling like this was going to be fun and exhilarating.

"At least you struck to kill…so, it seems you've begun to respect me." he said smiling, under his mask, "Maybe…just maybe…I'm starting to like you three." He said, addressing the ones that hadn't yet attacked him, "You, too, Naruto." He added as an afterthought.

And with that he looked Sasuke, Sakura, and Iduna in the eyes.

"And now…ready…steady…Go!"

*Translated from Japanese: "Never give up. Even a dragon can shine as brightly as a star. With hope, you can overcome your fears and become the Princess you truly are. Rely on your friends and we know you can succeed. Love, the remaining eleven Dragoons, your cousins."

**100 million yen equals roughly 1.1976 million U.S. dollars


	7. Pride Goeth Before a Fall

**So, another new poll is up, but this time it is just kinda like a 'which 10 do you like out of the 20 I put up here' kind of poll. Those I won't even think about writing until I finish the ones in the other poll lol so take your time in taking it...whoever wants to take it.**

**Thanks to:**

**GarrasMyBoyzz - Right...Well, the first issue - the 100 million yen - I was planning on doing something with that later on in the story. It plays out with the fued with Iduna's uncle and the confusion with the aunt. And...secondly...yen and ryo are the same thing. Well, when I looked up the equivalency, like ten sites I went to said that ryo and yen are the same thing...so...*shrug***

**Elemental Dragon Swordsman - So, yeah, since I'm going by the manga I didnt want to just fuse two chapters together...so you're left with a cliffy. =D Blame the manga and not me, but I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible. Oh! And a shakujo is an actual weapon...well, instrument. Monks used them to ward bugs off the road (to save their lives) 'cause it was sometimes fashioned to have different tops with things jingling on them and not a crescent blade. Warrior monks used the one with the crescent blade...as far as I know.**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**Pride Goeth Before a Fall**

* * *

As soon as the word 'Go' left the silver haired Jonin's lips, everyone jumped away…except for Naruto.

"The basis of all shinobi arts is to become invisible…eradicate yourself." Kakashi murmured to thin air. He looked around, noticing that three of his students had hidden themselves well and Saiki was lazily flying overhead. Kakashi ignored the ice dragon, however, because he recognized the tactic from Kaze. Become a distraction since you can hold the enemy off and then have your partner attack your opponent while they were busy. It was very useful, but he had experienced this tactic before.

He ignored the dragon that was effortlessly floating in the sky, instead turning his attention to the chakra signatures of his students. Iduna had hidden up in a tree, losing sight of Sakura and Sasuke. She was hoping that her dragon companion could distract Kakashi, but she knew that the silver haired Jonin was most likely going to anticipate something along those lines. She needed to work together with someone, but she was an independent person. The only one she had ever relied on, besides Iruka, was herself. This task was going to become difficult. Plus, there were only two bells…

Iduna could handle not becoming a shinobi – she would either give her bell to Naruto or Sasuke of all people…but she thought that the pink haired shinobi needed to focus her mind on other things. Perhaps if Sasuke succeeded and Sakura failed, it would motivate her to do better?

Other than Iduna hiding in the trees, Sasuke was hiding in a bush and Sakura was lying on her stomach near the general vicinity of Sasuke's hiding spot. Naruto, however, managed to hide himself for a few moments before deciding he wanted to fight the silver haired Sensei one on one.

"Oh, Naruto…" the white haired kunoichi sighed before signaling to the dragon to distract the Jonin as soon as Naruto started to fight him.

"It's time for the match to begin!" the blond shinobi shouted quite loudly. Iduna winced – Naruto might as well be dead if they were on a mission. "Let's make it a real match, worthy of the greatest warriors!" Naruto declared, excitement lacing his voice.

Sasuke watched from the bushes, flinching slightly when Iduna appeared beside him.

"Sasuke-san, the best way to win is to work together. I'm willing, but are you?" she questioned, cocking her head to the side with a serious expression. He sneered at her and turned back to observe Naruto. She may have come from a powerful clan, but she was still a girl. In Sasuke's mind, girls were weak when it came to fighting. That was the mindset of an Uchiha.

Iduna glared at the dark haired shinobi. She couldn't read his thoughts, but somehow she could tell that they weren't very polite.

"Sasuke-san. Don't be stubborn." She tried again, but the raven haired shinobi uttered his thoughts.

"Females are weak." He spat, "I'll get a bell on my own." he growled, once again returning his attention to the battle before them.

"You may be thinking of the wrong kind of match." Kakashi told Naruto as the blond boy easily slid into an offensive stance. He whipped out another kunai and charged towards the silver haired Jonin.

"The only thing wrong here is your hairstyle!" Naruto shouted. Iduna gasped and whistled sharply, letting the icy dragon know that it was time to set their plan into action. Both she and Naruto halted, however, when Kakashi reached towards the pouch that was on his thigh. Iduna, fortunately, was still hidden by the brush. Saiki cooed from above, letting Naruto that he was there to assist.

"Let me teach you…your first ninjutsu skill!" Kakashi explained nonchalantly as he looked towards the sky, "Taijutsu…the art of the trained body." And with that Kakashi's hand slipped into the pouch that was on his thigh. Naruto grimaced, wondering if the silver haired Jonin was going for a weapon.

Suddenly, Kakashi pulled a book from his bag titled 'Icha Icha Paradise.' Iduna gasped lightly, recognizing the title as one from the dirty books Iruka told her to stay away from.

"Is something wrong?" Kakashi asked, "I thought you were coming for me." he droned, obviously already absorbed into the book.

"But…you…I mean, I…I…mean…why are you…that's a book!" Naruto spluttered in complete surprise. Iduna sighed. She wondered about the boy's intelligence at times. Sasuke simply glowered at the appearance of the book and Iduna didn't really care what Sakura was doing. She, and the rest of them, needed to focus on the survival exercise.

"Of course it's a book. I've been dying to find out how this story ends. Carry on." Kakashi waved, not caring that his student was standing right in front of him. Obviously, it was kind of an insult.

"It shouldn't make any difference in the outcome, considering who I'm up against." The silver haired Jonin continued, nose still buried in his book. Yeah, Iduna decided, it was definitely an insult. Naruto blinked for a second before becoming enraged.

"I'm going to flatten you!" the blond shinobi screeched, rage building from the insult. He pushed up his sleeves before attacking his sensei once more. His punch was intercepted without a second glance and Kakashi swiftly ducked underneath Naruto's roundhouse kick.

"Charge! Alright! That's it!" Naruto was getting even angrier by the minute. He went to punch the silver haired Jonin once again, but he stopped short when Kakashi disappeared and reappeared behind the blond boy. Naruto was confused – where did Kakashi go?

"Showing your back so many times is very poor ninjutsu…dunce." Their sensei calmly said, placing his hands in the seal of the tiger despite the fact that he was still holding his dirty book. Iduna's eyes widened. It was too advanced a technique to use against her best friend. What was their sensei thinking?

"Naruto! Get out of there!" Sakura screamed, "You'll be killed!" and it was then that Iduna whistled sharply again, but, despite the blast of cold and icy pain that erupted in Kakashi's face, he completed his technique. Naruto didn't have any time to react.

"Konohagakure Village's most secret and most sacred technique!" the silver haired shinobi exclaimed as he stabbed his fingers up his student's ass.

"One thousand years of death!" and with that, Naruto went flying into the water. Iduna took this chance to attack. Saiki flew down to claw at Kakashi's face while the white haired kunoichi released her shakujo from her back. With a flick of the wrist she released the chain and the crescent moon went soaring towards her sensei.

Sakura was still scoffing at Kakashi's last jutsu, comparing it to just shoving something up Naruto's ass…which just so happened to be correct.

Kakashi easily dodged both Saiki's claws and the crescent blade of the shakujo, but what he didn't expect was for her to twist the blade around so that she was launched into the air. Iduna kicked at him, missing, but flicked her wrist again to recall the crescent blade while twirling around so that the flat blade on the other side slashed at her sensei's stomach. Iduna wasn't really aiming for Kakashi's stomach, however, but the bells. Although she was still clumsy with the weapon – she hadn't touched one since the last time she was at the Ryuujin Compound – she managed to sever a bell. Her eyes narrowed when she picked it up. It had been too easy.

Sakura and Sasuke looked at the fight with wide eyes. Iruka hadn't been joking when he said that the white haired kunoichi excelled in taijutsu. In time, the shakujo would be like an extension of her spirit and body. The white haired female continued to frown when a bad feeling shuddered through her body. She turned and glared at her sensei when she heard Saiki hiss in anger.

"Drop the bell or I'll rip Saiki's wing off." The silver haired Jonin hissed, pushing his student to her limits. He had the dragon in a vice grip, ready to rip his wing off if the situation called for it. Iduna wasn't going to give up that easily. She dropped the bell and when he released the dragon, her hands went into a flurry of hand signs despite the fact that she was still carrying the shakujo.

"Baisuu Hiryuu no Jutsu! (Multiple Flying Dragon Technique)" she exclaimed as Kakashi was surprised. He jumped back as several small dragons assaulted his face. It had actually caught him off guard – he had never seen a summoning technique like that before. But, he was not a Jonin for nothing. As the white haired kunoichi dove for the bell, Kakashi shot his hand out and disarmed the girl. He then took the shakujo and sealed it inside one of his scrolls. She was pushed back into the tree behind her, but she had gotten the bell…but now she was disarmed.

"Is that the only technique you know?" he murmured as he read the book once again, "And really. You need to practice with that weapon more." He tutted, making Iduna's cheeks burn in shame. She ripped her hands up, after stowing the bell in her pocket, and went through a flurry of hand symbols.

"Hi Tou no Jutsu! (Ice Sword Technique)" she cried out, thrusting her arm to the side. In a flash of light and ice, a katana made purely of ice was resting in her hand. The hilt wasn't cold, however, it was like she was holding a normal katana in her hand.

"Now this is interesting." Kakashi murmured to himself, but he still didn't put his book down. Iduna knew that Naruto was up to something and decided that she was going to try to distract her teacher for him.

True to Iduna's thoughts, Naruto was formulating a crude plan while he was underneath the water. The white haired kunoichi lunged forward with her ice katana at the exact same moment that two shuriken exploded from the water behind Kakashi. In fluid and graceful movements, he grabbed the katana with one hand, dropping his precious book, and caught the two shuriken with two fingers with his free hand.

He was lucky. If he hadn't been wearing gloves, Iduna's katana would have given him frostbite. He shoved the girl away with enough strength that he shoved her through a tree. She lost her grip on the ice katana and landed on her shoulder awkwardly, but before she could recover, Naruto emerged from the river. He looked like a drowned rat.

"Well? What's the hold up?" Kakashi mocked the blond shinobi, "Get one of these bells by lunch, or you'll have no lunch!"

"Duh! I know that!" Naruto yelled at his sensei as he tried to catch his breath.

"You claim to surpass Hokage-sama, but you've already run out of steam." He said, moving so that the remaining bell on his belt jingled, "And Iduna has already gotten a bell…but she won't have it for long."

"Crap! Crap! Crap! I can fight no matter how hungry I am!" Naruto declared as his stomach gurgled. Iduna blushed as she heard her stomach growl as well, Saiki landing on her uninjured shoulder and crooning to her in sympathy. Dragons didn't need to eat as often as humans did.

"I just wasn't ready that's all!" the blond shinobi shrieked as their teacher turned on his heel to walk away.

"So learn to get ready. Don't they say that chance favors the prepared mind?" the silver haired Jonin questioned as he continued reading his book. Naruto glared at the retreating back of his teacher, watching as he stalked towards the white haired kunoichi. Kakashi was serious about getting a bell back. Naruto's eyes widened as he realized that Kakashi had been serious. He set his plan into action as seven clones suddenly exploded from the water. there were now eight total entities.

"Ha-ha!" Naruto crowed, "My specialty! The art of the doppelganger! Get ready! Now you face a lot more than just one of me!" He exclaimed, still trying to catch his breath. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Iduna recover her ice katana and disappear into the trees with Saiki.

"Not illusions, but actual multiple flesh-and-blood bodies!" Kakashi exclaimed, very slightly impressed, "But at your level you couldn't be strong enough to keep this up for more than a minute. You talk a good game…but you're still only Naruto! You're a one-trick pony who hasn't got what it takes to win!" but as those words left his mouth, he found his lower legs instantly covered with ice. They were frozen to the ground – Saiki had come up behind him and, borrowing some of Iduna's chakra, he had frozen Kakashi's legs to the ground while he had been distracted.

A split second later, one of the clones from behind Kakashi jumped on the Jonin's back.

"Heh-heh-heh…Nice to see your back…**Sensei**!" Naruto laughed, "I isolated one of my clones…sent it out of the water posing as me. While I circled around you!" The clone said, revealing himself to be the real Naruto.

"Here's payback for what you did to my ass! This must be hard on you, so I'll go easy. One good hit is all I want." He replied.

In the trees, Iduna had a feeling that something was going to go wrong.

"He used the art of misdirection…feinting to distract his enemy before he struck somewhere else!" Sasuke murmured, slightly impressed.

"Relax! I told you, I'm only gonna hit you once!" Naruto exclaimed as he pulled his arm back and let it go. As soon as it made contact with Kakashi, however, the silver haired Jonin replaced himself with one of Naruto's clones.

"The art of substitution…" Iduna whispered, suddenly feeling eyes on her from behind. She turned around and screamed. The sound echoed through the forest as she was send flying through a tree. Her lightly injured forearm snapped under the pressure and she lay on the ground, cradling it to her chest.

"Sorry about that, but I told you I'd get the bell back." Kakashi smirked, disappearing. The other three shinobi froze. They didn't know what had happened, but they did know something horrible had happened to Iduna.


	8. Not Sasuke!

**Right, so school is over for a little bit. I'm going to finish as many stories as I can within the next year (and start a few more lol) and this one is probably not going to be finished in the next year. It's going to be that long.**

**I'm thinking of breaking this story into two parts - before Shippudin and after/during Shippudin - and then maybe a third side story set in between for when Iduna goes to confront her clan's head. How does this sound? **

**Thanks to:**

**AriiSpade - I know - when the battle is over, Iruka has some things to say to Kakashi lol**

**Elemental Dragon Swordsman - Yeah, but he doesnt know that her arm is broken - just that it's blue and cold (for the moment)**

**SkellySaurus - Yup, I have to figure out how they'll work it out. Might not be in the battle, but they might be able to enlist some 'help' in the form of one of Iduna's cousins XD**

**GaarasMyBoyzz - Yeah, I did know that. Soon, there's going to be this big conflict about the money in the Ryuujin complex between Noriko and her husband. And since the family is so large, it makes sense that they have a lot of money. Think of the Uchiha family - Sasuke's family was loaded (and now it is Sasuke who is loaded.) The same goes for the Hyuuga family.**

**ILoveReadingAndWriting - Aww, thanks! =) Thanks for the review**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**Not Sasuke!**

* * *

Although Naruto heard his crush's screams, and he was terrified for her well-being, he couldn't exactly do anything about it at the moment. He was surrounded by clones and he couldn't tell what was going on. The blond shinobi was confused and he hated when he was confused.

The clones taunted each other and the real Naruto grew angry. He pointed at the closest clone and started to yell at it.

"You're Kakashi-sensei, aren't you?" he yelled at the one who had taken Kakashi's place, "You used the art of transformation to change!" he accused as he jumped forward. As he argued with his opponent, Iduna staggered to her feet. She winced as her arm dangled by her side, but Saiki appeared behind her in a matter of seconds.

_**Iduna, let me heal you.**_ The ice dragon suggested, but the white haired kunoichi shook her head.

_**No. You need to save your chakra. **_The kunoichi struggled to respond via their link. It was still hard to do so – she needed to train her mind more.

_**Fine…at least let me freeze your arm so that you won't feel any pain. **_The small dragon cooed as he looked down at the wounded appendage.

"Fine…" she whispered out loud. The dragon breathed on her arm and she winced as the skin turned a sickly shade of blue. As soon as the strong stinging sensation came, it was gone. She now felt nothing in her entire forearm. It was both a blessing and a curse – although she could feel no pain, she wouldn't know when she was being too careless with the appendage. She could hurt it irreversibly and not even know it.

"Oh…Iruka-nii is _not_ going to like this." She murmured to herself, letting Saiki fly to the air once again. She shook her head, picking up her ice katana – Kakashi sealed her shakujo inside some sort of scroll right before he disappeared. Iduna sighed, concentrating. She couldn't let Naruto fail – he had something to prove to the whole village. Iduna was a coward. She would wait to face her fears and problems.

The white haired kunoichi took to the brush once again, travelling towards the loudmouth that was her friend.

"No, you did!"

"So did you!"

"Did not!" she heard all of the clones yelling. The white haired kunoichi sighed – Naruto would get nowhere if he was this loud.

"You have the same smell as Kakashi-sensei! Like an old guy!"

"I do not!" the clones kept yelling at each other. Finally, she could not take enough. She jumped from her hiding place, jeopardizing her position, to help her teammate.

"Naruto, just drop the illusion!" she exclaimed in exasperation, 'If you do, there'll just be two of you – if Kakashi-sensei is, indeed, one of the clones – and you'll know for sure which of us is which."

Naruto stared at her in amazement. More specifically, he stared at the light blue skin on her arm.

"What happened to you?" Iduna froze – should she really reveal the technique to Naruto? No, probably not.

"We have no time to talk about me. Are you going to drop the jutsu or not?" Naruto was startled – had he really forgot about the jutsu in such a short amount of time. The blond boy dropped the technique, looking around for his teacher. It was then that Iduna realized that Kakashi used the art of substitution.

The art of substitution was the third article in the First Scroll of Ninjutsu. You act with speed and skill to swap places with one of the plants, animals, or people in the landscape. Part of the technique is to make it look as though you've been struck, and in the interval strike back…

That was what Kakashi did – he traded places with one of Naruto's clones. When he was attacked, not only did he create an illusion, but he used Naruto's actual attack against him.

Naruto sighed, embarrassed to be caught in such a situation in front of Iduna, when he caught a flash of an object out of the corner of his eye.

"A bell!" the blond boy gasped, rushing over to the shiny object lying on the ground.

"No, Naruto, wait!" his friend cried, rushing after him. Right when he was about to bend down to pick up the bell, he was shoved out of the way. He had the bell in his grasp, but he looked back in shock to see a rope snag Iduna by her foot. She was quick, though, and used her ice katana to slice the robe. She then used the momentum of her fall to jump off the tree – there was a second rope.

"Naruto, you can't just rush into things." She said out of breath. At least Naruto was able to get a bell. He looked between the bell and his friend before making up his mind.

"Here." He said, handing the bell to his friend.

"What? No you picked it up first." The white haired kunoichi said, shaking her head.

"I don't deserve it. You had to save me from my own technique _and_ from the rope." He explained quietly, taking his friend's frozen hand and stilling.

"Why is your hand so cold?" he questioned, looking at her with a concerned expression.

"It's a side effect of a jutsu. Don't worry." She quickly said, waving off his concern. Right now they needed to worry about when Kakashi would strike again.

Suddenly, a small tap was heard from behind them. Kakashi appeared, clapping his hands.

"You used your technique well, but so did I…and you were the one who got used." The adult shinobi said, "And to almost be caught in such an obvious trap…_was stupid._ You're lucky Iduna was here to help you."

Naruto's eye twitched as he became angry. He thrust the bell to Iduna, who threw the bell into the air and, faster than any normal eye could see, Saiki swooped down to catch it in his mouth.

"You don't have time to go after Saiki with the both of us here." She said, convinced that Sasuke and Sakura were going to make their moves soon. Kakashi ignored her and continued to stare at the blond shinobi.

"Shinobi read the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings. We see beneath the underneath."

"I know that!" Naruto yelled at him.

"Uh, no you don't. That's why I'm saying it." But as soon as those words left his lips, their teacher was impaled by several kunai knives and shuriken. Iduna screamed by the sudden attack and Naruto jerked both of them away at the same time.

"_Whoa, whoa! No way! That was overkill, Sasuke!" _the blond shinobi screamed at Sasuke, who was still hidden within the brush. Suddenly, with a loud pop, Kakashi's body was replaced by a falling log. He had used the art of substitution once again. All three of the shinobi were shocked – Sakura was just freaking out about the whole situation.

Sasuke jerked back from his position – it was jeopardized since he knew that Kakashi could tell where his weapons had come from. He deliberately acted like he was off guard, waiting until the right moment.

Meanwhile, a copy of Kakashi was homing in on Sakura, who hadn't even bothered to try fighting for a bell. She was busy looking for Sasuke, who had vacated his earlier spot.

"Sakura, behind you!" she heard someone call her name. The pink haired kunoichi was foolish – she turned to stare Kakashi straight in the eye.

As this was happening, Iduna and Naruto were hiding themselves within the forest again. Iduna was slightly worried. If this took any longer then her arm might suffer from hypothermia. No matter how in tune with the ice element she was, she was still a novice.

"'Read the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings,' my ass!" Naruto complained as he kicked a tree. "No way am I gonna get caught!" he exclaimed as he finally let go of Iduna's hand. he had been holding onto it ever since he realized how cold it was – he was trying to get some heat back into it.

Just as Sakura thought she was safe, she was very wrong. She was caught in the midst of a Genjutsu.

"Sakura…" she heard behind her. The pink haired girl turned, excited that she recognized the voice as Sasuke's, but froze when she saw the condition her 'lover' was in. Sakura had no idea that she was really trapped within an illusion.

'Sasuke' was in bad condition. His left arm was severed from his body and his left leg had snapped – it was facing the opposite direction it was supposed to. His boy was riddled with cuts and scrapes while his skin could have been comparable to a pin cushion. Kunai knives and shuriken were sticking out in every direction.

"Sa…ku…ra…help…me…" he wheezed out as he leaned up against a tree. Instead of helping, the pink haired girl screeched as loud as she could. She fainted, falling backwards as Kakashi grinned to himself underneath the mask. He had half a mind to wake her up with some sort of jutsu, but decided against it.

About a hundred feet away stood Sasuke, barely flinching when he heard the pink haired kunoichi's scream.

"That scream I just heard…" he murmured, looking around for Kakashi. He had already fought the other three teammates. Now the silver haired one would come for him.

"The second Ninjutsu skill – Genjutsu, the art of illusion. And Sakura fell for it." Sasuke's teacher murmured, leaning casually against a tree behind the Uchiha heir.

"I'm not like them." Sasuke hissed, glaring at the man who stood behind him.

"Save your boasts until you have a bell." Kakashi said, showing the two bells that were on his pants. One of them was an illusion, but he didn't want Sasuke to know that.

Sasuke smirked in return. It was his turn to prove to Kakashi that he was the only one worthy of the title of Genin.


	9. Kakashi's Decision

**Eep, I'm so sorry that this is so short, once again...but I'm writing along with the manga and this chapter happened to only be like eight or ten pages. (front and back, not individual). So! Here is the next chapter.**

**Thanks to:**

**ElementalDragonSwordsman - Aww, thanks for the review. You were the only one for the last chapter =)**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

**Kakashi's Decision**

* * *

The Uchiha heir faced off in front of his new teacher, shoulders back and head held high.

"The strength of the Uchiha clan…the most elite family in Konohagakure Village…" Kakashi said, still reading that perverted book of his, "I'm looking forward to it…"

Sasuke glared at the silver haired man in front of him and, suddenly, crouched down and pulled three shuriken from his holster. Just as quickly, he threw them at his sensei. Kakashi was not a Jonin for nothing – he dodged the three shuriken just as easily as he would dodge pieces of paper.

"A frontal assault is wasted here." Kakashi murmured as he hopped away, trying to lure Sasuke into a trap. The raven haired boy smirked and flung yet another shuriken forward, slicing a rope he had attached to a trap. Kakashi was surprised and jumped up just as sixteen kodachi embedded themselves in the wood of the tree that he had just been standing in front of. The silver haired male skidded to the side, where the raven haired shinobi immediately appeared.

Kakashi was surprised at his new pupil's speed. It was strange for a Genin, but not unheard of. The older shinobi brought both of his arms up to block just as Sasuke tried to kick him in the face. Kakashi took hold of the offending leg, forcing Sasuke to lean back at an awkward angle. He yanked the leg forward, but Sasuke only used the momentum to try to punch Kakashi's face with the opposite arm. The silver haired male took hold of the hand, but Sasuke used the momentum from his punch to try to kick with his free leg. He wouldn't quit.

Kakashi flipped Sasuke over, but the boy revealed that fighting his teacher was not his true intention. His finger just barely skimmed the real bell, sending a small jingling noise into the small area, before Kakashi literally launched his student across the field. Kakashi was disappointed – he couldn't even read his perverted book when they were fighting.

Meanwhile, Sakura finally woke up from her Genjutsu induced shock. She sat up, rubbing her arm in embarrassment, but then she remembered that she had 'seen' Sasuke injured.

"Sasuke!" she shrieked, not even bothering to stay quiet, "Don't die…don't leave me!" she wailed "Where are you?"

Sakura didn't even realize that everything she had seen was just an illusion.

While Sakura was searching around for the supposedly injured Sasuke, Naruto and Iduna had burst through the foliage to find three logs and a giant rock with a memorial on it. The white haired kunoichi stared at the memorial with sadness evident in her eyes while Naruto only noticed the food.

"Hey…the lunch boxes are on top of that boulder!" he didn't even realize that the boulder was the Memorial Stone. He pulled Iduna forward and she didn't even try to talk him out of it. Her frozen arm was starting to hurt and she knew she had to get Saiki to release the ice or her arm could face permanent damage.

"Shinobi are supposed to read the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings…right?" he asked her when they arrived. She nodded and called out to her dragon companion. He responded almost immediately and released the ice that was encasing her arm. The color returned, but the pain returned almost tenfold.

"Ouch…" the white haired kunoichi hissed as she started to rub the wounded appendage. She had learned somewhere that if you rubbed an injured area, some sort of chemical would release that would make it feel better. Naruto heard her hissing in pain and turned on the heel of his foot. His bright blue eyes widened when he saw her arm hanging by her side, tilting at a weird angle.

"What happened?" he all but shouted as he walked towards her, lunch forgotten. How could he even eat if his best friend was hurt?

"Oh…nothing." Iduna tried to downplay her injury. She couldn't hinder him during an assignment after all. The sleeve of her fighting kimono covered most of the bruising up – at least the bone hadn't broken through the skin. Blood was a pain in the ass to remove from clothing.

"Nothing? Are you sure? It looks like it hurts." He questioned her as she looked at him. The white haired kunoichi gave him a soft smile and went to go sit in front of one of the logs.

"Well…Kakashi-sensei might have been a little rough with me." she sighed at the probing look that her friend was giving her, "Alright, alright! So, Kakashi-sensei might have broken my arm…it was an accident, alright?" she said, giving him a deadpan glare. Of course, it was a halfhearted one. She couldn't blame Naruto for caring about her, could she?

Sasuke and Kakashi heard Naruto's screaming from where they were staring at each other.

"I admit it. You're not like the others." Kakashi said after chuckling at Naruto's screams. Sasuke quickly rose and completed a complicated series of hand seals. Sasuke ended in the horse and tiger seals, mouth expanding as the jutsu commenced.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" the young shinobi shouted. Kakashi's eye widened. He was stunned – that skill was beyond the capacity of any normal Genin. He thought that Sasuke shouldn't have developed enough chakra to perform it.

Sasuke breathed out, releasing a great fireball. He made sure to scorch the ground and after a few seconds, when he ran out of breath, the fire receded. Kakashi was nowhere to be found. Sasuke looked around wildly, looking left, right, and upwards. But, he forgot about one place – below.

Kakashi's hand shot out from the earth to latch onto Sasuke's leg.

"Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu!" and with that he pulled Sasuke down until only his head was visible above the ground.

"Shinobi battle technique, lesson number three – ninjutsu…but at least, as you predicted – sort of – your performance, along with Iduna's, was head and shoulders above that of your companions."

Sasuke glared at his teacher, but all Kakash did was chuckle. "You know what they say – the nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down." And he walked away, chuckling to himself.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Iduna were sitting with the lunchboxes in front of them. Naruto was obviously starving, but the white haired girl was feeling a bit nauseous because of her arm.

"Hey, Naruto? Hang onto the bell, okay?" she reminded him to keep a hold of the bell. He nodded while giving her a curious look before turning back to the two bento boxes.

"We can just hang out here and eat the lunches." He said in a note of finality. He was about to open the boxes when Iduna said, "Hello, Kakashi-sensei." In a soft voice.

"Uh…just kidding!" Naruto whined with a grin.

"Too late!" Kakashi said, glaring down at the boy with a lazy eye.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was trying to escape his earthly prison when Sakura stumbled across him. She stared at his head, thinking it had been severed, screamed at the top of her lungs.

"It's Sasuke's head…it's been severed!" she screeched before fainting once again. Sasuke huffed before questioning her still form.

"What was that all about?" he questioned before struggling to release himself from the ground. After much struggling, he managed to release his body from the ground. He then set out to wake Sakura from her unconscious state.

"Sasuke!" she exclaimed, "You're alive!" she squealed as she launched herself towards him.

"Yeah…Fine…Okay…You can let go now!" he hissed when the pink haired girl wouldn't let go. "Time's running out. It's almost noon." He said, "I'm off." But before he could take off, Sakura started to talk again.

"Sasuke-kun, do you honestly believe you can get one of those bells?" he wouldn't have responded except for the fact that she questioned his ability.

"I got close enough to touch them…this time I'll take them."

"Really! Wow…you're so amazing…" she started to coo again, but this time she realized when she was doing it. "Uh…I mean…there's no more time and…even if we couldn't manage it this time…I'm sure next time, if we give it our all…" she tried to explain, but Sasuke silenced her with a glare.

"Only I can kill him." Sasuke quietly said as he looked to the ground.

"Who?" Sakura questioned, clueless, "you mean, Kakashi-sensei, right?"

"He made me cry." Sasuke continued, ignoring the pink haired girl.

"You cried…?" Sakura continued, still confused.

"My…"

"What…what are you talking about?" she exclaimed, trying to pry information from her crush.

"My only goal is to have my revenge. I have to become stronger than he is…now." He would have said more but then the bell rang, indicating that it was time for the mission to be over.

"Crap! I should have saved my breath."

When they got back to the others, they were surprised to see Iduna tied to a log and Naruto staring at he with a sad expression as he stood next to Kakashi. Kakashi had a bell in his hand.

"So, only one of you was able to get a bell, namely Naruto." Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. He then told the young shinobi to sit around Iduna.

"Oh, my. Listen to all the little stomachs growl! By the way, you four… I have an announcement…about this exercise…" Kakashi drawled. "None of you…need worry any more about being sent back to the Shinobi Academy." He said.

Iduna gasped, looking at her sensei with wide eyes. Naruto grinned while Sakura screamed in excitement.

"This rocks!" Naruto exclaimed, "It means that all four of us…" he was cut off by Kakashi.

"…are hopeless. More schooling would be pointless." He coldly hissed.

"**None of you will ever be shinobi!"**


	10. You Failed!

**Right, here's the next chapter.**

**Vote on my poll, please! Tell me who your favorite male Naruto character is!**

**Thanks to:**

**Elemental Dragon Swordsman - I think I explained your comment in the chapter, but if not then I'm sorry.**

**SkellySaurus - Thanks for the review!**

**RangerRedBelt - I answered your questions via PM so thanks for the review!**

**MCRDanime - Thanks for the review!**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

**You Failed!**

* * *

As the four Genin stared at Kakashi with horror in their eyes, the Hokage and their former Sensei, Iruka, were sharing lunch with each other.

"You invited me to lunch because you wanted to learn something, right, Iruka?" the old leader questioned the chocolate haired Chuunin, "What is it?"

"Group Seven – Naruto, Iduna-chan, and the others…" he began, leaning forward, "What kind of Sensei did you assign them, Hokage-Sama? Is he very strict?"

"Who…Kakashi?" the older man asked through a mouthful of food. "Does it worry you? Here!" he said as he pulled a book from his robes. "It's a roster of all of Kakashi's previous students among the junior-level shinobi – who passed and who failed."

Iruka took the book from his Hokage and flipped through it, growing more and more distressed as he flipped.

Meanwhile, Naruto and the others were completely stunned at their Sensei's comment. Iduna stared at Kakashi with wide eyes as her dragon companion landed safely on the top of the log she was tied to.

"What do you mean – give up?" she cried out as Naruto looked at her with pain etched into his eyes. The blond shinobi clenched his fist, whirling around to look at the silver haired man in the eye.

"Give me a break!" Naruto growled, "Iduna got a bell and gave it to me! We worked as a team to get this. Isn't that what we were supposed to do? Why should we quit because of that?"

"Because not one of you…has what it takes!" Kakashi explained lazily. Suddenly, Sasuke launched forward, intent on attacking the Jonin. The older man was quick and he managed to pin the Uchiha heir in under a second, sitting on the dark haired boy's back and pushing Sasuke's face into the ground with his foot. He held the boy's arm behind his back as he spoke.

"What you are is a quartet of spoiled brats. Your dragon is no better!" he exclaimed, looking at the dragon with narrowed eyes.

"Don't step on Sasuke-kun! Get off of him!" Sakura shrieked, eyes wide in anger. Sasuke struggled, but was unable to pry himself from the ground.

"Are you trying to make fun of the shinobi with your behavior?" Kakashi asked, venom lacing his voice, "Well, are you? Do you even stop to wonder for one minute…why you were divided into teams? Naruto and Iduna are heading towards the right idea, but Sakura! Sasuke! You obviously don't. You missed the entire point of the exercise."

"It had a point?" Sakura questioned.

"Of course." This time it was the white haired kunoichi tied to the log. "Everything has a point."

"And that point determines whether or not you would succeed." The silver haired shinobi continued as if he weren't interrupted in the first place.

"But…" Sakura stammered, "you haven't explained what it is!"

Kakashi was silent for a few moments before shaking his head.

"I don't believe this." He muttered to himself.

"Come on, already. Tell us!" Sakura said, becoming angry at her Sensei.

"It's teamwork." Iduna said, looking down at them. Kakashi stared at her blankly for a moment before nodding his head.

"That's right. If the four of you had come at me…_together_…you might have been able to take _both_ of the bells." He said, holding up the one bell that was still attached to his pants. "Iduna and Naruto worked together and managed to get a bell, but Iduna gave up her chance to become a shinobi to let Naruto pass. That is what teamwork is, but I'm afraid not all of you know how to work as a team."

Sakura glared at her Sensei even harder.

"If we were expected to function as a team, why did you only have two bells?" she scoffed, "Even if we'd worked together, one of us would from each team still have had to go without lunch. You're preaching teamwork, but you played us against each other!"

Kakashi stared at the pink haired kunoichi.

"Of course. This task was designed to cause dissension in your ranks." The silver haired shinobi explained, "The situation was set up to reveal which of you would set aside your individual interests…and propose to the others that you work together for the good of all."

He sighed and began tearing apart the young shinobi one by one.

"Instead of which…you, Sakura, ignored Naruto who was right in front of you, leaving Iduna to save him from the trap. You focused your attention on Sasuke, though you didn tknow where he was."

He turned his attention to Naruto.

"Naruto tried to do single-handedly what should have been the work of all four!"

His gaze shifted to the one tied to the pole.

"Iduna was the only one to propose teamwork, but she didn't even propose the idea to Sakura. She saved Naruto and gave him the bell, but ignored her body's limitations during our fight."

His gaze then shifted to the one in his grasp.

"And Sasuke had already decided that the other three just got in his way…and he was better off playing solo." He sighed in discontent, "You are a team! Learn to act as one! Yes, it's necessary for shinobi to have individual skills, but…what is even more important now is teamwork!"

Kakashi had never been so disgruntled when working with young shinobi before. Did they really not see how important teamwork was?

"Making a play as an individual is bad for the team and exposes your comrades to unnecessary danger. You might as well kill them yourself." Kakashi tried to explain again as Sasuke tried to move from underneath him. The Jonin looked down and smirked, pulling out a kunai and targeting Sakura's trembling frame.

"Sakura! Kill Iduna. Or Sasuke dies." He commanded, placing the kunai next to the incapacitated Genin's neck. Iduna gasped in shock as Naruto growled, stepping protectively in front of Iduna as he glared at Sakura.

"What?" he growled, feeling a spark of something deep within him break free. Nobody threatened his Iduna when he was around.

"The day could come…when one of you may be taken hostage, and you're forced to make such a choice." Kakashi said, shaking his head as he removed the kunai from Sasuke's neck, "When you are on a mission, your lives will always be on the line."

He then fully released Sasuke and walked over to the stone where the bento boxes were.

"Look at the marker…all the names carved in the stone…Heroes of our village. Shinobi."

Naruto's ears perked up as he heard the word 'heroes' but Iduna and Sakura knew what the stone was for. Iduna's father's name was on it despite the fact he committed suicide.

"That's it!" Naruto exclaimed, "I just made up my mind! That's where I want my name to go! I'm not gonna throw my life away! I want to be like them – a hero!"

Kakashi cleared his throat as he looked back at the eager blond shinobi.

"…but the ones listed there aren't just any heroes…" the silver haired shinobi continued in a haunted voice.

"Really? What kind of heroes are they?" Naruto was eager to know what kinds of heroes were on the stone.

"Naruto…" Iduna said in a soft voice "My father's name is on that stone." She explained. Naruto's face fell into one of confusion.

"But isn't your dad…"

"Dead? Yes…he committed suicide because the Kyuubi killed his dragon companion. His death was considered 'killed in the line of duty' and his name was put on the stone." She softly explained. Naruto's eyes shone with regret, but she smiled and shook her head. It had been a long time since she had even thought about her father. She hadn't even met him, after all. He died before she was born.

"This is a memorial. It includes the name of my best friend." Kakashi said. Iduna, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke stared at him while he spoke.

Suddenly, Kakashi turned around with a dark gleam in his eye.

"Pay attention! I'm giving you all one last chance." He said, narrowing his one visible eye, "One that will be far more difficult than our last little game with the bells. If you're prepared to continue, you may eat one of the bento boxes. But no sharing with Iduna or the dragon – Saiki. They go hungry."

"Why?" Naruto questioned, feeling bad for his friend. He could hear her stomach growling as she bowed her head in defeat.

"She gave up the bell when she could have kept it. You two were disqualified since you didn't even touch a bell. If one of you had gained one then the other would have been tied to the post as well." Kakashi explained to them, "If any of you feeds them, you fail the test right there."

He stood, trying to be as menacing as possible.

"My word is law. Do you understand?" he glared at the four Genin and the dragon. He was hissing at the silver haired Jonin in anger. Kakashi hardly even noticed as he jumped away. Unbeknownst to the four Genin, he was watching their every movement.

"It's alright, guys. I can stand not eating for a while longer." The white haired kunoichi said with a pained smile.

Naruto would have none of it. He offered her the food in his bento.

"Eat. It's my fault you're tied to the post." Naruto said, uncharacteristically serious. He felt bad. It was his fault that she was tied to the post in the first place.

"Naruto, no. I couldn't eat your food." She said, tilting her head to the side.

"Then eat mine." Sasuke said, holding out his food to her. Sakura glared at the white haired kunoichi before protesting Sasuke's offering.

"Bu…but Sasuke, Kakashi-Sensei told us…!" she was interrupted by Sasuke's glare.

"I'm not worried. He's probably miles away by now. And we'll all need our strength if we're going to work together to get that last bell." Sasuke said, a faint blush on his cheeks, "You're no good to me if you'er just going to be a liability."

Sakura stared at the raven haired shinobi before thrusting out her bento box to the icy dragon that was still sitting on top of the post. He cooed at her and launched himself at Sakura, intent on at least eating a bit of the meat.

Sasuke and Naruto took turns feeding Iduna, but Naruto had a strange feeling welling up in the pit of his stomach. He didn't like the fact that Sasuke was feeding the white haired kunoichi as well.

Far away, Kakashi had a faint smile on his face. Perhaps they weren't as stupid and naive as he thought.

"Thanks." Iduna said while giving her friends a soft smile.

Across the village, Iruka was staring at the book that the Hokage had given him to read. He couldn't wrap his mind around the information he had received.

"This…this is…" he trailed off.

"Yes…there's no denying that Kakashi is extremely strict…" the Hokage said, closing his eyes and folded his hands.

"No one? No one at all?" the brunette shinobi said with a shocked look on his face.

"Yes." The Hokage mused, "Kakashi never passes anyone." He continued. "Ever." He added as an afterthought.

Back with the four Genin students, Kakashi appeared in a cloud of smoke. His eye was murderous and the three free students jumped back in shock. Sasuke glared at the silver haired shinobi while both Naruto and Sakura screamed in surprise. Iduna squeaked and jerked her head back while her dragon companion hissed at the approaching figure.

"You…" Kakashi stopped for dramatic effect. He stopped right in front of the four students.

"Pass." He leaned down and gave them a wink.

"Whaaat…?" Iduna said, confused beyond all reason. The three other Genin students were just as confused as she was.

"We pass?" Sakura shrieked, "But…why?"

"You four have just taken a giant step forward." Their silver haired Sensei explained, much friendlier than before. He had been wrong about the three of them.

"Up until now, all any of you have done is listen unquestioningly to everything I say…like mindless little drones." He said in a dramatic fashion, "A true shinobi seeks for the hidden meanings within hidden meanings. In a shinobi's world, those who violate the rules and fail to follow orders…are lower than garbage. They are scum." He hissed, looking up as if he were remembering something he had been told long ago.

"However…those who do not care for and support their fellow shinobi…are worse than scum!" he shouted out with conviction.

"This exercise is now concluded. You all pass! That's all for today, Team Seven. Your duties will commence tomorrow!" Kakashi grinned before taking a kunai and cutting the white haired kunoichi from the log.

"I…uh…apologize for hurting your arm." He said, scratching the back of his head.

"It's ok…but I'd watch out for Iruka-nii in the future." Iduna laughed out.

"Yatta!" Naruto screamed, jumping in the air. "We're shinobi!"


	11. An Awkward Declaration

**Woo! So, I wanted to introduce some more of Iduna's family. These are eight more holders of the Ryuujin clan's Kekkei Genkai =D (there are 12 total, including Iduna.) Oh, and I tried to get Lee and Gai as much in character as possible, but I'm afraid that they might not live up to people's expectations...**

**Vote on my poll, please!**

**Thanks to:**

**ILoveReadingAndWriting - Thanks for the review!**

**SkellySaurus - I know right. Teamwork is important lol**

**Alpenwolf - I wanted to have time for her arm to heal, so the first actual mission in the manga takes place a month after this. **

**RedRangerBelt - Haha, no the first mission includes her cousins.**

**Elemental Dragon Swordsman - Nope! The Tora mission comes later. I'll even throw in a slight spoiler - Either Mizu's team or Uindo's team will fight in the Chuunin Exams. I'm not sure which one yet. Maybe one - maybe both.**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

**An Awkward Declaration**

* * *

Iruka was absolutely furious when he met his charge at the training grounds after Team Seven's test of teamwork. The normally calm Chuunin even went so far as to give Kakashi a black eye and threaten other bodily harm. Kakashi, who didn't foresee this kind of reaction from the gentle man, didn't even have time to perform a Substitution Technique…so he was stuck with a mild black eye for the next few days.

The other three Genin, plus the silver haired Jonin Sensei, stared at the chocolate haired Chuunin in shock as he inspected his surrogate sister's wounds. After confirming that there was nothing else wrong with her, other than the broken arm Kakashi had given to her – this was the reason why Iruka gave Kakashi the black eye, Iruka recovered the scroll with her Shakujo inside of it. He then ushered her to the hospital.

There, Iruka worried and fussed over her like a mother would do to their injured young. Iduna really didn't mind the attention – her surrogate brother had been quite busy of late. The white haired kunoichi couldn't blame him, though. He had enough problems working as a teacher at the Shinobi Academy and as an assistant to the Hokage.

"M-miss?" one of the nurses squeaked as she held a clipboard in front of her face.

"Yes?" Iduna asked her, wincing slightly when one of the medical shinobi poked and prodded her arm.

"Y-your d-dragon is making some of the o-other nurses and p-patients nervous." She said, eying the icy and scaly figure that was situated on the bed beside the young pre-teen. Iduna cocked her head in confusion before looking down at her dragon companion. Suddenly, she understood. Saiki could be intimidating when he wanted to be.

"Alright." She nodded her head, "Open the window, please." She told the nurse before turning to her dragon companion.

"Saiki, go find Naruto." She said. Naruto was the only other shinobi, besides Iruka, that the ice based dragon was comfortable around. Saiki nodded his head once and swiftly escaped through the now open window.

"Well, it looks like a clean break, Ryuujin-Sama." The medical shinobi said, addressing her respectfully since she was the heiress to a powerful clan, "It'll heal, but you need to wear a supporting cast for two to four weeks to ensure that it heals properly." The medical shinobi continued. With an incline of her head, her hands started to glow green and after a few moments Iduna's arm was more or less healed. Another nurse appeared with the equipment to put a cast on her arm.

"What color would you like, dear?" the nurse asked her with a kind smile. Iduna thought for a moment before smiling shyly.

"Can you make it match my bangs?" she asked, making Iruka chuckle from behind her.

"You and the color blue." He chuckled again before ruffling her bangs. The nurse nodded her head with a smile. Within the hour, Iduna's cast was finished and she was free to leave the hospital. Suddenly, she felt extremely tired. Iruka smiled down at her and lifted her up in a bridal carry, letting her fall asleep to the gentle gait of his steps.

When they got to their home, Iruka gently nudged his charge awake and let her change clothes. She blearily downed some dinner and went straight back to sleep, not even worried by the fact that her dragon companion hadn't even come home yet. He was with Naruto and so he was safe.

When Iruka was sure that Iduna was sleeping, he wandered to the living room and sat down on the couch. The night was a big one – Iruka had to admit to himself that Iduna was no longer an Academy student. She had passed Kakashi's test, along with Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, which meant that she was now a fully fledged Genin. She was now available to complete missions.

Iruka then thought about the Ryuujin clan. This was Iduna's family – her own flesh and blood that wanted her dead. Yes, it was really only one member of the family, but that man had dark things at his disposal. The check that Noriko sent caught his eye. A large red mark marred the center of the flimsy piece of paper. No matter how nice Noriko was, her husband was a different story altogether. The check the kind woman had sent them bounced when he went to the bank that morning. There was no money, which meant that he and Iduna were forced to stay in the small, cramped apartment until he was able to save for a new one…or until his little imouto-chan moved out.

The night was getting late, so Iruka shook his head. Once all of the negative thoughts were gone, he undressed and quickly fell into a deep slumber.

Across the village, Saiki was curled protectively around Naruto's head. Iduna might not realize how much she cared for the blond shinobi at the moment, but her dragon companion could read her inner emotions like an open book.

The next morning was an exciting one. Iruka woke his charge at the crack of dawn, telling her that Kakashi already has a mission set for Team Seven.

"What kind of mission?" the white haired kunoichi yawned as she sluggishly completed her morning routine.

"I don't know, but it had to do something with your cousins." Iruka said, shrugging his shoulders. That was true – Kakashi wouldn't tell him more than that.

"Which ones?" Iduna mused as she slipped on her outer robe and effortlessly tied the obi-belt. It was easy after lots of practice. She shook her head and grabbed an apple before leaving her apartment and she promptly ran into a green spandex clad youth.

"Oh!" Iduna gasped, wincing as the arm with the cast on it began to throb.

"Iduna-Hime!" Lee exclaimed, quite energetic despite the early morning hours, "I heard about your injury from Gai-Sensei and I thought I should help you on your youthful recovery! YOSH!" He shouted, giving the startled kunoichi a bright grin and a thumbs up.

"Lee-san, that's very kind of you…but I have to meet Kakshi-Sensei at our training grounds." Iduna tried to protest, but either Lee was deaf or he just wasn't listening.

"Say no more!" he shouted and, before the white haired kunoichi could comprehend what was going on, the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha had swept her into his arms in a bridal style. "I shall get you there on time or I will run five hundred laps around the training grounds! On my hands!" Lee declared, grinning down at the girl nestled in his arms. Iduna had no choice but to nod and hold on tight.

The two shinobi arrived at Team Seven's training field in record time. Naruto and the others, minus their Jonin Sensei, were already there. When they saw Iduna in Lee's arms, they stared in shock. Sakura was being held up by a certain icy dragon, which made Iduna laugh heartily. Lee wasn't paying any bit of attention to the others in the training field or he would have noticed two males who could have become great rivals.

"Personal mission accomplished, Iduna-Hime!" Lee chirped while giving her a cheeky grin once again. Naruto couldn't remember a time when the weird feeling in his stomach had been this intense. It was different than the other weird feeling he had around the white haired kunoichi. Instead of the pleasant butterfly feeling within the pit of his stomach, it felt like some weak force was trying to get free. Naruto's eyes narrowed once again as Lee gave Iduna another grin. His blue eyes narrowed even further when he heard the title Lee had attached to her name. He treated it like a nickname! He didn't know why, but it infuriated him.

He didn't…have feelings for Iduna…did he? Naruto's eyes widened, but he brushed the feelings aside. He was just jealous because Iduna was his friend. Right?

"You don't have to call me 'Hime' you know." Iduna said as Lee set her on her feet.

"Nonsense! A delicate lotus, such as yourself, is definitely deserving of such a youthful title!" Lee said, punching his fist in the air as a green blur touched down behind him.

"LEE! I am so proud of you!" Mighto Gai exclaimed, tears pouring down his face, "You have acquired a beautiful lotus of your own! Now show her your true feelings of youth and you shall prevail in the quest to gain fair Iduna-Hime's heart!"

Naruto's blue eyes darkened as the one named Gai rambled on.

"No, no, no!" Iduna interrupted, "I'm afraid that I can't allow that! I'm only twelve right now!" she exclaimed, eyes wide.

"I will win fair maiden's heart in the end!" Lee exclaimed in earnest before the two of them jumped away, tears streaming down their faces. The four Genin stood there, staring at the spaces where the two green spandex clad males were standing.

"Well, that was interesting, wasn't it?" a sweet voice questioned. Iduna's eyes widened and she whirled around.

Standing behind her three teammates was Kakashi-Sensei, but he wasn't alone. Standing beside him were the two Jonin Senseis of her family – Ryuujin Mizu and Ryuujin Uindo. They had their Genin with them – and, yes, all six Genin were her cousins.

"Itokos!"


	12. The Many Pieces of a Whole

**Okay, I know...this is a filler chapter for right now. I wanted to introduce you guys to the Jonin and Genin of Iduna's cousins. There are two Chuunin and then the Sage is one of her cousins as well. That makes 12 Dragoons! **

**Anyway, I thought that planning a party would be considered a D rank mission...right?**

**Oh! I want some suggestions from you guys for what Lee can do for Iduna as his many Youthful...things...he does to win her heart. =D**

**Vote on my poll, please! Kakashi is in the lead! I'm actually wanting to write a Chouji fic next, but whoever wins is whoever gets to have the fic written about them next. **

**Thanks to:**

**Alpenwolf - oh, please...um...I have no idea right now lol. Lee's weird character is a product of insanity, I tell you that.**

**RedRangerBelt - I dunno. I'm thinking once Dosu starts sending Iduna love letters/poems - SPOILER - and flowers in his shy way, he'll start to become insanely jealous.**

**ILoveReadingAndWriting - oh, good! I wasnt sure if they were Lee-enough and Gai-enough lol**

**ElementalDragonSwordsman - Well, he's only 12 at the moment so it might take a while. Well, you know what I mean. I'm thinking that he'll realize that he's in love with her during the Zabuza arc and then will try to admit it to her during the Chuunin Exam arc or something like that.**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

**The Many Pieces of a Whole**

* * *

"Itokos?" Naruto questioned, calming down, "They're your cousins?"

"Yup! They're all my cousins." The white haired kunoichi said, "And they're also part of the Twelve Dragoons. That is what our clan calls the shinobi who can access the second stage of our Kekkei Genkai."

"All of them?" Sakura questioned, eyes wide.

"Yup! Now c'mon and I'll introduce you to them." Iduna said, smiling and grabbing Naruto's hand before she made her way to her cousins.

"Uindo-itoko, Mizu-itoko! It's nice to see you and your teams outside of the Ryuujin estate for once." The white haired girl said, smiling as Uindo grinned down at her. He reached down to ruffle her bangs.

"It's nice to see you, too, kiddo." He grinned. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto all lined up before the Ryuujins so they could be introduced.

"Okay, first up is Uindo-itoko and his dragon, Kaze!" Iduna said with a smile. Uindo nodded and grinned towards the Genin. Kakashi literally glowered at the other male.

"S'up?" he greeted.

"Nya – if they're part of your family what's their elemental affinity?" Sakura questioned, cocking her head to the side. She remembered Iduna talking about how her affinity was ice, a mixture of wind and water. Uindo looked at her, impressed.

"My affinity is strictly wind based." He said. Uindo was tall and with long orange hair bound at the nape of his neck. He had dark, charcoal colored eyes. He wore the regular Jonin equipment, with a fishnet shirt, but replaced the green vest with a long silk coat almost identical to Iduna's short battle kimono. It was a dark orange color with a black dragon embroidered on it. Kaze was wound around his arm. Unlike Saiki, Kaze was a light orange snake-like dragon, without wings, and long limbs. He had no need for them since he was a wind affinity. He was also a little over the length of Uindo's upper arm and forearm. When Kaze spotted Saiki, he unwound himself from his Master and went over to 'talk' with him. Seeing this, all of the other dragons took off as well.

Kakashi's eyebrow twitched as he watched Kaze out of the corner o his eye. He was still wary of the wind dragon.

"Well, next is Mizu-itoko." Iduna introduced. The woman had short shoulder length sapphire colored hair, wavy but not to the extent that it was unmanageable – and had sky blue eyes. she had a gentle smile on her face and was wearing almost virtually the same clothing as Iduna except her battle kimono was a rich blue color. Her obi-belt was a soft aquamarine and her sleeves were slightly longer. Aquamarine dragons were embroidered into the sleeves.

"Hello." She said in a soft voice, "My affinity is strictly water based." She explained, "And my dragon companion is the dark blue one. His name is Gogyou." She said. Gogyou was the biggest dragon by far. He was the carbon copy of Kaze except for the fact that he was three times as big as the wind dragon. He also had two long whiskers that floated down his face and moved like he was submerged in water.

"Whoa!" Naruto gushed in excitement. Dragons were hard to come by and he hadn't seen any dragons besides Saiki. Now, there were nine of them gathered in one place.

"Um…Uindo-itoko's Genin students are beside him." her teammates looked at her weirdly and she was silent for a few moments. "Oh! Yeah, we have our own Academy at the Ryuujin Compound. We train the kids who want to become shinobi at the Academy and then once they become Genin their Jonin Senseis can choose whether or not they can come live in Konoha to train. Once they are ready to become Chuunin, they take the test like everyone else."

"And we chose to bring our students here. We lived here when we were Genin as well." Mizu said, smiling brightly.

"Tch, it's better than living in the Compound with that damn man acting as Leader." Uindo said, "I can't _stand_ him." the other Ryuujins nodded as well.

"Right, well, on with the introductions." Iduna said, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. "The one on the far left is Kasai, the one on the left is Tsuchi, and the one in the middle left is Akari." Iduna said with a bright smile. Each Genin nodded their hellos. "The one in the middle right is Doku, the one on the right is Raikou, and the one on the far right is Metaru." She finished and the other three nodded as well.

Kasai stepped forward, "My affinity is Fire. My dragon companion's name is Kaji – he's the red one." He said in a clipped tone. Kaji had short blood red hair and amber eyes. He had a long pike in some sort of sheath on his back and he wore a red coat with a black tank top underneath it. Black dragons were embroidered on the sleeves. Kaji was smaller than the others and was about half the size of Saiki. Instead of having front legs, he had a sort of webbed skin on his arms and three small claws on the end of it. He had black horned ridges all along his back and two small spikes on his tail.

Tsuchi was next. She was a down to earth girl with long emerald green hair and light brown eyes. Her hair was kept in a braid and was swept over her right shoulder. "My affinity is earth." She said with a gentle smile. Once again, she wore the same battle kimono as Iduna and Mizu, but hers was in a forest green color. The obi-belt around her waist was the same color as her eyes and brown dragons were embroidered on both her sleeves and at the hem of the kimono. Tsuchi wore brown knee length shorts underneath the kimono and attached to the chord tied around the obi-belt there were a pair of sai blades. "My dragon companion is Daichi." She said, motioning towards a light brown dragon that was currently rolling around in the dirt. Daichi was a friendly looking being with rocky looking skin instead of scaly looking skin. It looked like his skin was virtually made of gravel. He nodded in their direction before turning back to his dirt.

"Hi, I'm Akari!" she was a bubbly blond girl with a pixie bob cut. Her hair was so light that it was almost white, but there was still color in it. Her eyes were a tawny yellow color as well and the girl had a bright smile. She was bouncing up and down, in place, but Kakashi's team knew not to mess with her. There were two giant chakrams on her back and two medium sized ones attached to her light yellow obi-belt. Her kimono was a pretty golden color and white dragons were embroidered upon it.

"My dragon companion is Ranpu!" she exclaimed, punching a fist into the air. Naruto and the others felt that she would be better suited training with Lee and Gai, but what could they do? Ranpu was a very tiny dragon, about the size of Akari's hand. It didn't mean that he wasn't strong. Ranpu could actually produce a type of chakra that caused his scales to glow, blinding his opponent. He could also hide in small places, too.

The next one to introduce himself was Doku. "My affinity is poison. I can add poison to any weapons or taint the very water in the air to create a poison mist." He softly said. Doku had short spiky purple hair and violet eyes. His hair covered the left side of his face and his left eye seemed to be a little lighter than his right eye. Doku had thick bands around his arms set with several layers of senbon needles. They weren't the only bands he wore, either. There were two around his shins, covered by the long black pants he wore, and he wore a vest covered with three layers of needles. He wore a dark purple, almost black, jacket with lighter purple – almost violet – dragons embroidered on it. "My dragon companion's name is Gaidoku. He is the purple dragon."

Gaidoku was hard to spot. He was even smaller than Ranpu, being only about as long as Doku's forefinger. When the small purple dragon breathed out, a small puff of purple smoke filled the air. Gaidoku's breath was poisonous.

Next was Raikou. He looked like a smug and cocky little piece of work – he looked like a dark blond version of Sasuke.

"My affinity is lightning." He said in a small drawl. Sakura let out a little gasp and blushed a little because he reminded her of Sasuke. Sasuke scowled, not liking the fact that there was a carbon copy of him. On his hands were white leather fingerless gloves and four wicket looking blades were pushed back on his arms. There was a small button on the inside of the palm of his hand that he would press to have the blades pop forward – they were called cat claws. He were a basic fishnet shirt with a yellow tank top with long black pants. Over that he wore the same jacket as his male cousins, but it was an electric purple color with golden dragons embroidered upon it. "My dragon companion is Denkou." And that was all that he said to introduce his dragon companion.

Denkou was an average sized dragon. He was a bright golden color, but his eyes were a bright electric purple. He had a nonchalant attitude and he was lazily keeping watch over the other dragons at play. Denkou was actually the fastest of them all, but when he was not flying or fighting…well, he was quite lazy.

Last, but not least, was Metaru. She came forward and bowed, giving the rest a polite smile.

"Metal." Was all that she said. Metaru was of little words, but she liked to use all kinds of specially crafted shuriken. They were of all shapes and sizes, but the ones she carried on her person were tucked away inside her obi-belt and inside her sleeves. Metaru's hair was a lovely silver-grey color, almost like Kakashi's but darker, and her eyes were a stormy grey color. Her hair was worn in twin buns, similar to TenTen's hair. Her battle kimono was a dark grey color and her obi-belt was the same color as her eyes. She wore black shorts underneath the battle kimono and bandages were on her left leg to keep it steady. She pointed to a small silver dragon.

"Kane." She said. Kane was a quiet dragon as well and she was sitting on the back of Denkou. A bandage was wrapped tightly around her right wing and Iduna supposed it was because of the journey here. The Ryuujin Compound was a few days travel, after all, and the road was not free from brigands and bandits.

"Well, now that we're all introduced…what's the mission, Kakashi-Sensei?" Naruto exclaimed, sidling up next to his Iduna and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. A feeling rose within him as he noticed that Doku was giving Iduna a strange look. It really wasn't one of affection, but one of admiration. Did he have to compete for her affections with one of her own cousins? Well, it wasn't exactly unheard of for cousins to like each other in such a big family. They were probably distant cousins, like fourth or fifth generation.

"Well, we're waiting on another Genin team to take Uindo's team around the village, but our mission includes Mizu's team." Kakashi said coolly. Naruto could feel his excitement rising.

"What is it? What is it?" he grinned in excitement.

"We have to plan a surprise party." Mizu said with a small smile. Naruto instantly deflated.

"What? Why?" he complained as Sakura and Sasuke sighed in annoyance.

"Because…the Dragon Sennin is returning to Konoha."


	13. Planning the Party

**And the tension starts to build...between Naruto and Doku...**

**Vote on my poll! I know you want to.**

**Thanks to:**

**Elemental Dragon Swordsman - Yeah, well, he's kinda thick, y'know? And yeah, right now all he knows is he's jealous, but he can't figure out why.**

**Alpenwolf - *HUGS* Thanks for the review =P and Naruto and Doku will have one mean verbal battle in the near future.**

**ILoveReadingAndWriting - Here's your update!**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

**Planning the Party**

* * *

"What's a Sennin?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side.

"A Sennin is the highest rank a shinobi of any village can obtain without being named Hokage." Uindo explained with a grin as he slid his fingers through his light orange bangs. "A Sennin holds unimaginable power and there is always one shinobi in our family to reach that rank. Sometimes more, but never less."

"And is the Sennin one of your cousins, too, Iduna-chan?" Sakura asked. The white haired kunoichi nodded while giving her a weird expression. Didn't the title 'Dragon Sennin' say anything?

"Yeah. She may not seem like it, but Kosumo-itoko is one of our more distant cousins. She's a Dragoon, too." Iduna explained with a smile. While they were talking, the other Genin squad that was to plan the party appeared. Three familiar figures greeted her, but Iduna only had time to nod before they were separated into groups. That way it would get done quicker and make more friends, or at least that was what Kakashi had mentioned.

"Alright, listen up. Team Eight will team up with Team Uindo while Team Seven will team up with Team Mizu. One member of each team will be partnered with one of the other." The new Jonin Sensei, Yuuhi Kurenai, explained.

"Akari and Hyuuga Hinata are to get the streamers. Tsuchi and Aburame Shino are to get the cake. Kasai, Inuzuka Kiba, Raikou, and Uchiha Sasuke are to hand out the invitations. Metaru and Haruno Sakura are to get the snacks and food." Kakashi stopped when he realiezed that there were an uneven amount of Genin left. Eventually he just shrugged while nodding with Mizu.

"And Doku, Iduna, and Uzumaki Naruto will get the decorations." He smirked underneath his mask. Iduna smiled and Doku gave a small blush before nodding, but Naruto's jealousy began to flare up again. He found the white haired kunoichi's hand and interlaced their fingers together. Iduna was shocked at first, but just put it down to the fact that Naruto felt intimidated by meeting so many members of her family at one time. Doku noticed their intertwined fingers and glared right back at Naruto.

"Alright, let's meet back here when we're done. The Dragon Sennin will be here tomorrow at noon so we have all day and night to prepare." The ruby eyed female Jonin said to them. "Mission start!"

As she said that everyone, plus their dragons, disappeared except for Naruto, Iduna, and Doku.

"Iduna-Hime! It's been a long time since we've seen each other." Doku softly said while giving her an innocent smile. He brushed back his short purple hair so that the two of them could see his lighter colored eye. Now the two could see that the reason it was lighter was because there was a scar running through it.

"Doku-kun, you don't have to call me that. You know that, right?" Doku blushed even further, but his eyes widened in protest.

"But Iduna-Hime, that's your title! You are the Princess of Dragons and I am your mere servant. I live to serve you although I am not allowed to do so." Doku said bowing, "It's the least I can do since you saved my life."

Naruto's eyes widened as Iduna hung her head. Doku had never gotten over his admiration of her since she saved his life.

"You saved his life?" and a fierce blush formed on Iduna's face.

"Um…that's a story best saved for another day." She said with a forced laugh, "I think we should be working on the mission."

"Great idea, Iduna-Hime!" Doku said eagerly. Naruto glared at him, eyes sharpening, and he tightened his grip on the white haired kunoichi's hand.

"Right, so we're in charge of the decorations, other than the streamers, of course." Iduna said as she took a hold of Doku's hand with her free hand. They started to weave their way through the village, "So, Doku, what do you think we should do for Kosumo-itoko?"

Naruto felt slightly hurt that she didn't ask him, but then he remembered that he had no idea what Dragon Sennin looked like. He had never met the Sennin before so he would know any of her interests.

"Well, Kosumo-itoko likes stars, right Iduna-Hime?" Doku asked, tilting his head to the side as they continued to walk through the village.

"Yeah, and she's an awesome archer despite her age." Iduna mused as she remembered the demonstration the older woman gave her cousins.

"Why don't you have a forest theme?" Naruto interrupted them, hoping that his suggestion wasn't stupid. "We can have the party at night so she can see the stars and we can use one of the training grounds with trees."

Iduna's eyes lit up and she smiled widely.

"Naruto, that's a great idea!" the white haired kunoichi exclaimed, leaning over to kiss Naruto on the cheek. Doku's eyes widened before he glared at Naruto. What had Naruto done to warrant his Hime's affections?

"Maybe we can find some targets at the Academy to hang on the trees? We can ask Iruka-nii."

"Oh, and don't forget those little crystals we can hang in the trees. They can act like more stars if we have a bonfire or something." Doku suggested, both hope and affection shining in his eyes. Iduna's eyes lit up once again and she nodded.

"I'm sure we can find something like that." She said before grinning widely, "And of course, she's the Dragon Sennin, so she should be honored with some stuffed dragons." Naruto grinned while Doku snorted before blushing.

"Let's hope that Uchuu won't be annoyed." The purple haired Genin laughed, but his response only fueled Iduna's motivation.

"That's the point!" she laughed out. Doku beamed at his success. "I'm sure she'd be _very_ annoyed."

Suddenly, she pulled the other two Genin to a halt.

"Hime? What's wrong? Is it your arm? Do you want me to find Mizu-Sensei so she can heal it better?" Doku questioned, snatching his fingers away from the injured appendage as if he were the one who had injured her in the first place.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, startled at his reaction, "No…I just spotted the Yamanaka's flower shop and thought that we could buy some flowers for Kosumo-itoko." Iduna said, blinking in surprise. At once, Doku was digging through his sleeve's pockets, retracting a pouch of money. It was no surprise – their family was quite wealthy. She was just cut off because her uncle wanted her dead.

"Say no more, Iduna-Hime!" he exclaimed before making his way to the flower shop. The two other Genin blinked before the white haired kunoichi burst into a fit of giggles. At least he knew Kosumo's favorite flowers were white carnations.

"Well, that's Doku-kun for you." She sighed, shaking her head but keeping that smile on her face. Suddenly, Iduna thought of something as Saiki appeared, wrapping himself around Naruto's shoulders.

"Naruto?" she questioned him with concerned eyes, "What do you think of my cousins?" she asked as she nervously brushed her bangs away from her eyes. Naruto's blue orbs narrowed as his jealousy sparked to life once again.

"I like the others, but I don't like Doku. Or Raikou. Raikou reminds me of Sasuke." He said, huffing. He released the white haired kunoichi's occupied hand to cross his arms, puffing out his cheeks childishly.

"I understand why you don't like Raikou since he's literally like Sasuke's twin, but why don't you like Doku? He's a sweetheart." Iduna's voice held a sad tone. She wanted Naruto to like most of her cousins – Raikou didn't count – but she might understand where her friend was coming from.

"Because…" Naruto's blue eyes nervously shifted back and forth, "Because I don't like how he treats you."

"What, like I'm a princess and he's my servant? You know I don't like how he acts. I tell him time and time again to stop calling me 'Hime'." Iduna said, starting to feel a bit ashamed, but Naruto shook his head.

"No…he acts like you're a goddess and he's the only one worthy enough to worship you. From what I've seen, he'll jump at the chance to help you if it'll get you to notice him." Naruto explained in a frustrated voice. "He acts like he likes you," Naruto blushed as he confessed his fear.

"Who, Doku-kun?" Iduna asked in disbelief before shaking her head. It couldn't be true, could it? "No, he only acts like that because I saved him from my uncle – well, our uncle. That's how he was blinded in his eye. He only does it because he thinks his life belongs to me." the white haired kunoichi shook her head sadly. Naruto's eye widened in shock and he actually began to feel a bit guilty for feeling jealous. Doku's affections weren't that harmful, after all. He was like a puppy in a sense.

"Iduna-Hime! I got the flowers! Are they good enough or should I go back for more?" the purple haired Genin questioned as he held up two large bouquets of white carnations. They were freshly picked and the stems were held together with rubber bands.

"They're great, Doku-kun." Iduna said with a smile.

"I did a good job?" he questioned with a shy tone. His eyes were hopeful and even the small dragon sitting on the top of his head had a hopeful gleam in its eye.

"You did a good job." She confirmed, nodding her head, but then she spotted a blue flower in the midst of the flowers, "But what's that one?"

"The blue one? Oh, I thought you'd like it so I got it for you, but if you don't like it I can always give it to someone else…" Doku trailed off as she plucked the flower from the bouquet.

"Oh wow, a blue shooting star! I love these!" Iduna said while holding it close to her eyes for inspection. Doku smiled widely as a blush covered his face with the flowers and his blush darkened when she put the flowers in her hair, securing the stem underneath the small band that kept her hair in its braided bun – her hair sticks helped keep it there as well. Naruto glared at the other Genin. The glare was much fiercer than the others he had given Doku. The jealousy was acting up again and he wouldn't be outdone.

He would win Iduna's affections and he would prove to Doku that he was not the only one who could win the fair maiden's affections.

Iduna, however, saw the look in Naruto's eyes. She couldn't believe that the mischievous prankster she had known for such a long time was jealous. Of Doku of all people.

"Naruto, if you don't mind, could you go fetch us some stuffed dragons from the toy shop down the street?" Iduna asked, "Here's some money." She said, handing over some money that Iruka had given her for her allowance. She was sure to earn what she spent back from the mission when it was complete.

"Of course, Iduna." Naruto said, grinning widely, excited for the chance to show Iduna that he was better than the purple haired Genin.

"I"ll get the best ones. Believe it!"


	14. Uzumaki Versus Ryuujin

**Hey! I'm back with another installment of Unseeing Eyes! The next chapter it goes back to the main storyline =D**

**Thanks to:**

**nagitana - yeah, I agree, but I also have to have some way of showing their developing emotions. Young people's emotions are everchanging lol**

**RedRangerBelt - I believe I answered all of your questions via a PM. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Alpenwolf - *Hugs!* Haha I only have Kakashi and my mom has an Iruka plushie. My oldest sister has a Gaara one. **

**Elemental Dragon Swordsman - I believe I've answered all of your wonderings in the chapter ^_^**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Uzumaki Versus Ryuujin**

* * *

"Iduna-Hime, let me carry those!" Doku pleaded as the white haired kunoichi took the flowers. She sighed, exasperated, and turned back to the purple haired boy.

"Doku-kun, I'm fine." She said while patting his head, "holding a bunch of flowers won't hurt me." she continued, withdrawing her hand and starting to scour around for a bench to sit on while Naruto was retrieving the stuffed animals.

"Ne, Iduna-Hime?" the purple haired Genin asked the white haired kunoichi who sat beside him.

"Hm?" she grunted, turning her attention from the passerby to the preteen sitting next to her. He looked at her with admiration and adoration clear in his purple eyes, but Iduna could tell that the question he wanted to ask was a serious one.

"Why do you like the Uzumaki boy so much?" the other Genin questioned with a tilt to his head. Gaidoku hissed, bobbing his head up and down as if agreeing with the boy's question.

Out of all the questions her cousin could have asked, Iduna was not expecting this one.

"Wha? Why do I like Naruto?" she questioned, looking down at the slightly shorter boy. "Well…maybe because we're the same…yet we are different." She said. Neither of the two realized that the blond shinobi had come up behind them. he had been about to interrupt their conversation, but then he heard Doku's question. He wanted Iduna to explain her answer as well.

"How so?" Doku questioned, confusion evidently shown through his visible eye. the white haired kunoichi sighed and closed her eyes, absently running her fingers through her bangs.

"Well, we're alike because we both have something sealed inside of us. Something great and terrible at the same time."

"The Kyuubi and _Him. His_ power." Doku said, nodding.

"But Iduna-Hime…you are so much better than he is! Your burden is worse than the Kyuubi."

"Oh really?" Iduna's gaze turned icy as she opened her eyes. The temperature surrounding the general area dropped several degrees. "Who are you to compare us? Naruto is a much better person than I can ever be. I was raised by Iruka-nii and Naruto is an orphan. I have you – my cousins – and Naruto has no one except me and Iruka-nii. He has very little to rely on and he is still so much braver and stronger than I can ever hope to be." She spat out, the temperature eventually turning back to normal.

"But he's the Kyuubi! He's a demon, Iduna-Hime! Uncle told us so many, many times." The purple haired Genin protested, placing his hand on Iduna's shoulder.

"Do you really think so, Doku-kun?" came her tired voice. It was silent for a few moments before the poison affinity responded, shaking his head.

"No, I don't. from what I've seen, he's like any other person, but I think he likes you, Iduna-Hime." The white haired kunoichi couldn't help but laugh and Naruto thought it was a good time to interrupt.

"I'm back! I got some good stuffed animals, believe it!" the blond shinobi shouted, startling the two distant cousins. Iduna smiled at the two large stuffed animals Naruto was carrying. Between the two white stuffed dragons, there was a small orange stuffed fox.

"Oh how cute!" she squealed, "Naruto, did you buy that, too?" Iduna asked, not really caring that her best friend bought the fox. Naruto lowered his head with a blush.

"No, the shopkeeper gave it to me for free," he said, shifting the stuffed animals so he could scratch the back of his neck. "You can keep it if you want." Naruto said, offering the small fox to the white haired kunoichi. She grinned and nodded, taking the small plush toy and tucking it into her obi-belt. Doku glared heatedly at Naruto and was about to open his mouth, but someone cut him off.

"Iduna-Hime!" a familiar voice exclaimed; Doku's eyes widened and his fingers inched towards the senbon hidden in his sleeves. A familiar green clad Genin and Jonin appeared, making the white haired kunoichi groan. She liked them, really she did, but she could only take so much of their antics in one day.

"What's he doing here?" Naruto growled, eyes narrowing at the sight of the spandex clad men. They had just gotten rid of them no more than two hours ago.

"Iduna-Hime I have come too late! My precious flower has gained yet another love interest, but fear not! I shall win dear flower's affections in the end!" Lee said, tears flowing down his face.

"Lee! The burning flames of youth surround the four of you!" Gai exclaimed, a literal carbon Copy of his green clad Genin student. "They've already showered her with gifts of flowers and stuffed toys! Show them that you have the most youth of all and claim your flower as your prize!" Gai shouted as Iduna's face turned into a tomato.

"Yosh!" Lee replied, "I will do whatever you need, Iduna-Hime! You can count on me!" the spandex clad boy said, sticking his thumb out as his teeth started to sparkle. Iduna, Doku, and Naruto were speechless before Iduna had an idea.

"Lee, can you do me a favor?" she asked, giving Lee a sweet smile. Lee's eyes turned into hearts and he eagerly nodded his head.

"Any task you set for me is an opportunity to show my youth!"

"Okay, Lee…you can show me your youth by getting me some targets at the academy and some hanging lights from the furniture store?" the white haired kunoichi asked, cocking her head to the side and trying to be cute. The spandex clad boy shook his head furiously and stuck his thumb out once again.

"Yosh!" Lee shouted for everyone to hear. "Your wish is my command, Iduna-Hime!" and with that, he took off before Iduna had the chance to hand him the money for the hanging lights. Then, she retrieved some paper and ink from a generous vender and wrote out a short message for Kakashi and Mizu. The not only enclosed the list of items that had retrieved and where they planned to have the party. She sent Saiki off with the note and the three of them trudged back to the training grounds.

They were met there by Lee, who had somehow known where they were going to have the party. "Stalker." Naruto coughed, but Iduna elbowed him in the ribs.

"Be nice." She hissed gently, "Lee helped us on our mission. It's the least you can do."

To Lee she said, "Thanks, Lee. I don't know how I would have managed." While holding up her arm with the cast.

"No, no! I was happy to bathe in the flames of youth!" and he stayed to help despite the fact that it was not his mission. Doku glared at the green clad shinobi. Now he had two rivals to deal with. Shaking his head, the purple haired Genin walked to Iduna's side. The sun had since set and it was time to work on decorating the training grounds.

Doku and Naruto set out to find firewood and it soon turned into a small competition. Doku was winning at first because Gaidoku used his poison breath to melt the dead branches from the tree. Naruto felt a spark of competitiveness well within his chest as he once again sent a glare towards the poison affinity. He then performed the move he learned from the forbidden scroll.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he yelled and ten clones appeared. All of them had the same goal in mind. Doku was shocked when five Narutos climbed five separate trees and started to throw wood for the bond fire down towards the five counterpart Narutos. They were done quickly and the Narutos raced back to the clearing.

Lee had to steady both himself and Iduna when all of the Narutos suddenly burst from the forest. They built a giant tower for the bond fire in the middle of the training grounds. They had been hanging the lights on the trees that bordered the training grounds. When Iduna got the streamers, she would weave those through the branches of the trees as well. Iduna thought that Kosumo and Uchuu would like the decorations.

Lee hoisted the white haired kunoichi up on his shoulders and handed her a bit of rope so that she could tie the stuffed dragons to the lowest branches of the two largest trees. She also tied the branches together so she could weave the white Carnations in the branches as well.

While her back was turned, Doku and Naruto shared a heated glare.

All of the Genin, plus the four Jonin Senseis and Gai – who volunteered his services just like his student – worked hard through the night. They took shifts sleeping so they wouldn't become exhausted. Mizu left at thirty minutes to noon the next day so she could intercept Kosumo. She would keep the Dragon Sennin busy until the afternoon, when all of the invited people had shown up. Among those invited were: Aburame Shibi and his wife, Akamichi Chouza, Nara Shikaku and his wife, Hyuuga Hiashi, and Yamanaka Inoichi and his wife.

All of the Genin were invited as well, however, Doku and Naruto's little competition had come to a climax. Doku approached the blond Genin when the guests started to arrive.

"What do you want, Teme?" Naruto used the nickname he usually had on reserve for Sasuke.

"Who are you to call me 'Teme?'" Doku quietly said, angered at the blatant show of disrespect. It was true that he had been abused at his childhood home, but he knew that the outside world was different. Naruto had no right to call him such names when he had done nothing to the blond shinobi. "Stay away from Iduna-Hime. She deserves someone much better than you." Naruto's eyes widened and then narrowed. Was everything he overheard a lie? Naruto's whiskers deepened and a small wind started to pick up around them.

"So you think you're better than me? Don't deny it. I know you have a crush on Iduna."

"See? There you go. You don't even address her with her proper title!"

"She doesn't need a title! We decided a long time ago, even before she found out what I am, that we weren't going to give each other titles or suffixes. I am Naruto and she is Iduna."

"Which shows that you don't know who she is."

"I know she's the Dragon Princess. Ryuu-Hime."

"But you don't know what she holds inside her – what she was forced to carry at birth. She is like you, but the power she holds is much greater." Doku said. Naruto frowned – why didn't Iduna tell him that? Well, she would obviously tell him when she got comfortable. She was always like that.

"You'll _never_ be good enough for Iduna-Hime!" Doku, who was normally a soft spoken person, raised his voice.

"Shut up."

"She'll never choose you when she can have anyone!"

"SHUT UP!"

"Make me, fox-boy!" and that was the only incentive Naruto needed. He clenched his fist and put a much training as he could behind the punch. Naruto sprang forward and several of the female civilians screamed. Iduna's head snapped to the side as the sound of her two friends reached her ears."

"Naruto, Doku-kun, stop!" the white haired kunoichi screamed as Doku's hand started glowing purple. He plunged a poison needle into the ground where Naruto's arm used to be. The two boys grappled, completely forgetting in their rage and jealousy that they were shinobi.

"Stop it!" Iduna screamed again as tears formed in her eyes. She would have jumped in and frozen them solid, but she was reluctant to injure her two friends. Neither of the Sensei's wanted to interfere. They didn't want to risk offending the other party. The two were rolling on the floor of the training area when a voice exclaimed.

"Well, now _that_ is what I call a party!" followed by a soft twang. Two shimmering arrows flew across the field, each nicking the fighting Gennin's clothing and pinning them to one of the targets. Iduna whirled around and gasped in surprise.

"Kosumo-itoko!"


	15. The Worst Mission

**Okay, I apologize for taking so long to update. I just started another session of summer school to get ahead and I've been working on some original novels and a series. **

**Please take a look at my profile and message me concerning which character you like the best. The first to message me with a specific character will have the story dedicated to them - all others will have honorable mentions. =D**

**Thanks to:**

**RedRangerBelt - Um, neither one of them get hurt too badly and Naruto doesn't know what she is just yet. He does know that she had a secret and he really wants to know what it is since she knows that he is the Kyuubi, but he respects her enough to lay off. **

**Elemental Dragon Swordsman - Yes, but Doku does eventually realize. **

**ILoveReadingAndWriting - Yup, but it does tone down somewhat.**

**Alpenwolf - *HUGS* Yes, my mom does have an Iruka plush. She also has an Alphonse plush from FMA. She likes Yuki from Fruits Basket, too. Doku...he has a bigger emotional reason to be there. I don't know if I'm going to use her other cousins as much as I'm going to be using Doku and Kosumo, but Doku has a meaning for the Chuunin exams HINT HINT. **

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

**The Worst Mission**

* * *

Everyone froze in shock. The only things moving were the glittering arrows – the aura caused them to keep shifting ever so slightly. The other person moving wasn't a thing, rather, she was a person.

Kosumo was an older woman, much older than anyone present. Her long white-silver hair, natural and just a shade lighter than Metaru's, was held back in a high braid by a simple band. The wrinkles round her strange rainbow colored eyes suggested that she enjoyed life. A gentle smile was on her face as she gazed at her baby cousin.

The Cosmic affinity was wearing the same battle kimono as her female cousins, but the color was a shimmering metallic silver. It was several shades lighter than Kakashi's hair. Dragons of different colors were embroidered on it and her obi-belt was of different striped colors. She wore black pants under the kimono and a small circlet on her head bore the Konoha leaf symbol. The other Dragoons would be getting theirs the next day.

"This is some welcome." The Sennin stated as she stalked forward, replacing her longbow back in its holster. She had no quiver for arrows. Everyone watched as Kosumo bowed to Iduna.

"Congratulations on making Genin, Iduna-Sama." The white haired kunoichi didn't even bother correcting the older woman. Kosumo was one for formalities – at least where it was due. Iduna _was_ the heiress to her clan after all. Iduna just nodded her head in defeat before being led way by Mizu and Tsuchi. Kosumo and Uchuu – a pearly white dragon who hd excitedly descended from the heavens, closed in on Doku and Naruto. She took the arrows and absorbed them into her body as chakra before she stared the two of them down.

"I do believe you've made the Princess cry. You two should be ashamed of yourselves." She turned to Doku first. "Provoking a fight with one of Iduna-Sama's friends will now help you gain her heart." He blushed and looked down, apologizing. Kosumo then turned to Naruto, "And giving into the Kyuubi's more violent tendencies my only serve to drive her away." she said in a small voice. Naruto looked down and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"The two of you shall apologize or you shall find yourselves on the business end of my arrows…despite your relationship with Iduna-Sama. You'll find that I am quite protective of her." Kosuma said, "Uchuu will take you, but…Doku, please remember that her secrets are for her to tell." And with that, the pearly white dragon grabbed the two Genin by the backs of their outfits, bringing them deep into the training forest. The Water and Earth dragons were curled around the three females while the Ice dragon watched out for them from above. The three of them rumbled a greeting as Uchuu placed the two Genin on the ground. Tsuchi and Mizu watched the two with passive gazes.

Doku looked down, ashamed. This was his crush, his idol, and he was appalled that he had made her cry. He was ashamed that he almost told everybody her secret. It was a secret that all of the Dragoons swore to keep until the time was right. It could put her in danger if it was released. Not everyone else, just her.

"Do you have something to say to the Princess, Doku?" the Water affinity questioned, purposely leaving off the suffix. Doku blushed and the shame welled up even further. He walked up to the softly crying girl and bowed low.

"I humbly request and beg for forgiveness from the Ryu-Hime. I apologize for my shameful actions." Doku said. Even Gaidoku came forward and bowed while balancing on his Master's head. Naruto frowned as he looked at the bowing form of his 'rival.' Was everything he did around Iduna so formal? He shrugged and went to give his friend a hug. She gave a watery laugh and wrapped her arms around him as well.

"I'm sorry." His apology was less grand, but it seemed to do the trick.

"No, I'm sorry for freaking out on you two. Just promise me you'll take your frustrations out in a spar instead of rolling around in the dirt?" she questioned. Both boys nodded and she dragged Doku down for a hug as well. His face was on fire, but she embraced her back.

"That's my boys."

Things went smoothly after that. About a month passed and Team Seven continued to work with Team Wind and Team Water for their D ranked missions. Team Wind and Team Water were offered separate living quarters, but each team ended up living in their own house – they were big enough for separate bedrooms. Iruka finally managed to come clean about the bounced check, but when Kosumo overheard this, she went to go give that slimy bastard a piece of her mind. She returned empty handed, but she was smirking…so she must have done something to him. Although she couldn't really do anything, the Hokage offered her a large house in return for her help at the Academy. Kosumo was able to keep those kids in line despite her age.

After about a week, she invited Iruka and Iduna, plus Saiki, to live with her, saying that she didn't like living in such a big house. It was just big enough for the three of them to live in comfortably with separate bedrooms and bathrooms. Plus, she wanted to give the white haired kunoichi a little bit of extra training to help her hone the first stage of her Kekkei Genkai – element manipulation. She could not control ice, but she could explain what it was like to control her own element – the energy produced from the stars. As long as it was a clear night, or if the moon was shining, she could produce a chakra-like energy, but she could always produce a bit of chakra since the moon was always there.

One day in particular stood out amongst the rest. Team Seven finally received a semi-interesting mission.

"How far away is the target?" Kakashi said through his headpiece. Each of the shinobi on the mission, all members of Team Seven, were hidden behind various trees. All except for Saiki, who flew in the sky.

"Five meters and closing!" Naruto exclaimed, "So…how much longer are we gonna wait?" he shouted through his own set.

"I'm in position." Sasuke relayed.

"So am I." Sakura said.

"As am I." Iduna replied, "Saiki is in position as well."

"All right!" Kakashi said lazily, "Go!"

It was right after his exclamation that the four of them jumped at their target…which was a feisty cat.

"Remember. Our quarry has a ribbon on its right ear that says 'Tora'…make sure there's no mistake." Kakashi said as Naruto struggled to hold onto the cat. Sakura just stood there laughing at him, but the white haired kunoichi cooed at the cat as she tried to coax it away from her friend's face.

"Target confirmed." Sasuke said as Iduna tried to figure out a way to get Tora off of Naruto's face.

"Good! Then 'Mission: Find the Missing Pet' is accomplished." He said and then beckoned his students to return to the Hokage Tower. There, the four Genin returned Tora to his owner, Lady Shijimi. The Lady was the wife of the ruler of the Land of Fire, the country they lived in.

Iduna noticed that her cousins were there as well, obviously turning in a mission of their own. Mizu smiled at them kindly as Doku grinned widely, waving frantically to get his Hime's attention. Raikou nodded at them and Metaru gave them a small smile. Iduna waved back, much to Naruto's displeasure, but he had told himself that Iduna could hang out with whoever she wanted.

"Poor Tora…good little kitty-kitty…I was so worried about you, I could have died!" she exclaimed. Naruto, Sakura, and Iduna were hiding their thoughts from her with grins on their faces.

_"Oh man! What a nightmare. How does that poor dumb cat put up with it?" _Naruto thought, placing a hand to his head.

_"With that to look forward to at home, can you blame him for running away?" _Sakura thought as she stood there, stiffly.

_"At least I give Saiki freedom to come and go as he pleases…" _were Iduna's thoughts as she glanced up at the icy dragon sitting lazily on her shoulder. He was getting bigger, but he wasn't too heavy.

"Now, the next assignment for Kakashi's Team Seven will be…" the Hokage trailed off as he started smoking his pipe, "Hm…to babysit for the council of elders…to run errands to the neighboring village…to help dig sweet potatoes…" all of them sounded like easy jobs, but Naruto wouldn't have it. He was already tired of simple D rank missions.

"No way! No thank you! Boring!" he exclaimed as he crossed his arms in front of his face. "Give us something different to do. Something important! Something amazing!" he shouted. Everyone stared at him with surprise.

"Don't be a fool!" Iruka shouted at him from his seat beside the Hokage. "You're only a beginner! Everyone starts out doing grunt work. It's where you get experience, so you can work your way up to the bigger things." Iduna's surrogate brother tried to explain.

"We've done tons of small stuff. Can't we get some action!" Naruto exclaimed before Iduna placed a hand on his shoulder. She whispered for him to calm down and only then did he slump back.

"Apparently Naruto needs an explanation of just what those duties are…" the Hokage said as he chewed on his pipe, "You see, every day, our village receives many requests…we take that tremendous variety and sort them into categories from A to D, based on the degree of skill they require. We have also divided the shinobi into classes based on the level of their skill. After we of the upper echelon have sorted all the requests we distribute them to those shinobi with the appropriate skill level." The Hokage paused to take a breath, "And if the shinobi in question completes those duties successfully then the grateful person he has helped pays him a fee. Thus far, the four of you have only just attained the lowest rank along with the three Genin present from the Ryuujin Compound. Level D tasks are the best you could aspire to.

"Hm…I had pork ramen for lunch yesterday…so I think I'll have miso ramen today." This was one of the few times that Iduna became angry. He was disrespecting the Hokage, the man who had acted as both of their grandfathers since their births. She glared at the blond shinobi and stepped towards her cousins. She couldn't be near her friend right now – not when he was disrespecting one of the few people she thought as her true family.

"I…I'm sorry." Kakashi tried to apologize for the blond boy.

"I don't want to hear it!" Naruto exclaimed, "All the old fart ever does is apologize and then give me a lecture. But it's not fair. There's more to me than the troublemaking screw up the old man thinks I am!"

Kakashi sighed, "I am going to be in so much trouble for this later…" he mumbled quietly, but instead of being reprimanded, like everyone thought, the Hokage just laughed.

"Very well. Since you put it that way…" the Hokage chuckled, "I will permit you to attempt a C grade task – usually reserved for shinobi of the Journeyman level. The protection of a certain individual."

"Who is it? Some great lord? The Daimyo? A princess?" he seemed to forget the fact that Iduna was, in fact, a type of princess. She looked at him with wide eyes and took in a sharp breath before turning to Doku. He looked at her with a sad expression and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Compose yourself." The Hokage said, "I'll perform the introductions straight away. Please invite him in." he said and the door creaked open.

"What's going on here?" the old man asked, "They look like a bunch of wet-nosed brats." He continued. Iduna looked at the man with wide eyes. He was weird.

"Especially the midget. He's got the face of an imbecile. It's a joke right? You kids aren't really shinobi, right?" the old man smirked as he held up a bottle of alcohol. Naruto, of course, laughed.

"Who'd you mean? Which midget? Which imbeci….?" He looked back and forth between the four Genin of Kakashi's team. "I'LL KILL HIM!"

"Wrong." Kakashi said as Iduna laughed at the blond shinobi, "No killing the old man you've been assigned to protect."

"Oh, yes. I don't mean to interrupt, but I will also assign young Doku to your mission as well. Mizu is going on a mission of her own and her two students already have a place on Kurenai and Gai's respective teams for the next week." The Hokage interrupted before the man introduced himself.

"I am Tazuna, a bridge builder of ultimate renown. Until I am safely back in my own country, where I'll be completing my next bridge, you'll all be expected to protect me…even if it costs you your lives!" he exclaimed.

Later in the afternoon, the five Genin, Kakashi, and Tazuna exited the great village and were on their way to the bridge builder's home country. Suddenly, as soon as all of them just passed the gate of the village, Naruto threw his arms into the air.

"All right! Road trip!" he sighed in excitement. Sakura didn't find this amusing.

"What are you babbling about?" she questioned with a glare. Her hands were on her hips and she was leaning forward just slightly.

"This'll be the first time in my life I've ever been outside of the village!" the blond shinobi exclaimed. Iduna's lips twitched up into a smile. She understood where he was coming from. She was the same way when Iruka took her to visit her family for the first time when she was four. It was then that she showed her ice affinity and was to receive Saiki – and it was then that she was officially marked as the Ice Dragoon.

"Am I really expected to place my life in the hands of this fool?" Tazuna sighed as he pointed to Naruto. Kakashi sighed as well.

"There's no call for concern. I'm an elite shinobi, and I'll be along, too."

Naruto had listened to enough of the old man's attitude.

"Listen, you old geezer! You don't mess with shinobi. Ever." The blond shinobi shouted at him, "Especially not a really good one, like me. I am the cream of the elite. In fact, one day I'm gonna be the next Hokage-Sama! So remember my name." Naruto stated in a loud voice, "It's Uzumaki Naruto."

"Hokage, eh?" Tazuna said as he drank some of his alcohol, "The Lord of your village? The best there is? I don't think someone like you has it in him."

This ticked Naruto off even more.

"_Well you're old and stupid!" _the blond shinobi screamed at the old man, "I am doing all the right things, and I'm doing them fast. And when I become Hokage, you're gonna wish you were a lot more respectful to me right now!"

"Respect you? I don't think so. Not even if you did become Hokage." Tazuna said before glancing at the two Ryuujins, "The only ones I respect here are the Jonin and those two." He said, pointing to the cousins.

"Eh?" Iduna and Doku questioned, sharing a confused glance.

"Even in the Land of Waves we hear about the prestigious Ryuujin Clan…and about the twelve Dragoons. Masters of their element, the twelve Dragoons are said to be some of the most powerful shinobi to ever exist. Konoha is lucky to have you by their side…especially if the rumors are true." The old man said with respect in his voice.

Naruto was sick and tired of hearing about the rumors surrounding Iduna's family. He wanted to know for himself. Iduna knew about his secret, but why wouldn't she tell him her secret? It wasn't that dangerous…was it? It wasn't like she had a tailed beast inside her, too…right?

The blond shinobi saw her sigh and a sad glint enter her eyes. His heart tightened and he became sad, internally yelling at himself. He felt ashamed for even thinking those thoughts. They began to walk and the blond shinobi fell in step with the cousins.

"Iduna…?" he questioned in a quiet voice.

"Yes, Naruto?" she replied in an equally small voice. Doku tensed up, expecting Naruto to ask about his Hime's secret.

"I know you have a secret…" he started and she tensed as well, "…but I want you to know that I won't ask about it. I'll be here whenever you want to talk." Naruto finished in an uncharacteristically serious tone. The white haired kunoichi looked up at him with a shocked expression, but then it warmed into a gentle smile. Doku watched, surprised, and relaxed. It just now hit him. He now realized just exactly how close the two of them were. Doku may have known Iduna for longer, but he realized that he stood no chance to win Iduna's heart…but that didn't mean he couldn't be an admirer and protector.

"I will tell you soon, Naruto. Perhaps when we get to Wave." She said with a smile. She was relieved that Naruto wasn't going to force her to tell him her secret.

"Um, Tazuna-San?" Sakura questioned.

"What now?" the old man groaned.

"You come from the Land of Waves, right?"

"What of it?"

"Um…Kakashi-Sensei, are there shinobi in that country too?" Sakura questioned in a genuinely curious voice.

"No." Kakashi replied, "Not in the land of the waves. But, as a general rule, even with all the differences that exist in local customers and cultures, most other lands have their own Hidden Village where a shinobi clan resides." The silver haired man said before slipping into teaching mode.

"For most of the countries on this continent, the shinobi villages serve as the military force. They protect their own people and handle the ongoing relations with neighboring countries! Yet, the villages do not answer to the ruler of their native countries. Instead, they are on an equal footing with the government. In the case of very small island nations where an invasion would be difficult to mount, a shinboi village is regarded as unnecessary. Among the various shinobi villages, in particular, those located in the lands of Konoha, Kiri, Kumo, Suna, and Iwa are large – and their strength is immense. Those are called The Five Great Lands of Shinobi. They are also the only places where the shinobi leader calls himself a Kage, or shadow…" the silver haired Jonin explained calmly.

"Those legendary leaders, Hokage – or fire shadow – and Mizukage – or water shadow – for example…plus Raikage, Kazekage, and Tsuchikage are known to shinobi everywhere as the Five Shadows…the ultimate commanders of all of the tens of thousands of shinobi throughout the world."

"Really?" Sakura asked, "Hokage-sama is so amazing!" Iduna had to hold in a snicker. She knew that Sakura was only trying to suck up. Kakashi picked up on it as well.

"You obviously don't really think so." He said making the pink haired girl blush. "There's nothing to worry about. You won't face any duels with shinobi from other clans while you're handling C level duties." He continued, patting Sakura on the top of the head.

"So I don't have to worry about encountering any foreign shinobi?"

"Of course not!" Kakashi said while laughing. It was then that the seven of them walked past a puddle of water. Iduna and Doku watched it with frowns on their faces. They thought it was suspicious, but then something that had never happened before to the white haired kunoichi took place.

**_Beware…_** a deep and wise voice echoed through her head. She knew that it was in her head because she was the only one who could hear it – none of the others showed any indication that they heard it.

**_Beware, little one. Not everything is as it seems. _**The voice echoed again, stronger than before, but it fizzled out before she could think about it. It wasn't Saiki since he was sleeping on her pack. What was that voice? Could it have been…the power of the one locked inside of her?

Iduna shook her head, half afraid of the voice she heard and half suspicious of the puddle of water that they passed.

It was very quick. Just after everyone had passed the puddle of water, two chains shot forward to wrap around Kakashi. Iduna screamed just as Doku shot his arm out. Four glowing purple senbon were already in his hand as he glanced around wildly to see the source of the chains.

"One little piggy." One of the rogue shinobi growled out a rough laugh. Iduna's hand shot to the weapon on her back and she tugged it from the holster. She spun it in front of her, glancing to Tazuna as he gazed at her shining weapon. The crescent blade reflected the light from the sun.

The next second, both of the rogue tugged on their spiked chains, slicing the silver haired Jonin to pieces. Everyone gasped and Iduna's mouth opened wide in a terrible scream.

"Kakashi-Sensei!"


	16. Target Number Two

**I apologize that this chapter is so late. My computer was in the shop - and is still running a little funny - and I've been working on my new Transformers stories as well. **

**Doku's Techniques translate into: "Poison String Needles Technique," "Poison Beam Technique," and "Poison Removal" (which isn't as much as a technique as it is part of his ability to control poison via his kekkei genkai.)**

**Thanks to:**

**Alpenwolf - *HUGS* Yeah, she doesn't really like being addressed like that. She's grown up outside of the family so she's not used to it. lol Oh, yeah. Doku will make Naruto's life hell XD**

**RedRangerBelt - I put a twist to the demon brothers. Doku was able to get in some action.**

**Elemental Dragon Swordsman - Yup. You could say that =)**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Target Number Two**

* * *

Iduna took in a shaky breath as she told Saiki to take to the sky. He gave a mighty cry before launching himself to the clear blue air, flying higher in the sky to search for a way out of the situation. She placed a hand on the handle of her shakujo, crouching down in a defensive position and screaming out Naruto's name when she saw that the two enemy shinobi had appeared behind him with their unique weapon.

Doku reacted quickly, expecting something like this to happen. He had quick reflexes from his time with his and Iduna's uncle. His life there had been a living hell and he had come to expect ambushes from all sides.

"Poizun Himo Haru no jutsu!" he called out forming various hand signs. He brought up his fingers, like Sasuke did when he was performing his fireball technique, and breathed outward. A cloud of long, thin needles appeared and shot at the two brothers, dissolving anything in their path.

Iduna shook her head, wrenching her shakujo out if its holster on her back. She twirled it around her, bringing it up in front to protect her if one of the two decided to come after her or one of the other Genin. Her main goal right now was to protect Tazuna.

"Doku, be careful!" she exclaimed in a short command. She had no time to be nice when their lives were at stake.

Sasuke, not wanting to be outdone, took charge of the situation when the two brothers jumped out of the way of Doku's poison string needles. Sasuke jumped up and quickly threw a throwing star at their chained whip. The throwing star pinned the weapon to the wood and he threw a kunai knife a split second later. The throwing knife pinned the throwing star, securing the odd chain to the tree.

The dark haired Genin landed on their wrists, which were forced together when their weapon was forced against the tree, and pulled. He kicked out, forcing the two back and straining the chained whip so much that it broke. This didn't deter them from their original job, however, as one of the brothers dove for Naruto and the other for Iduna.

Doku's eye flashed dangerously as his hand started to glow a dark, dangerous purple. In a split second he had four senbon needles in his hand and threw them, pinning the man in question to the ground.

"Poizun Keta no Jutsu!" he called out, forming a hand sign with his right hand. His left had already pulled more senbon needles from his holster vest underneath his shirt. A light purple beam of chakra shot from his hand and wrapped around the pinned man. It didn't touch his skin, however, it hovered a few inches away from him. He was a sitting duck.

"I'd be careful if I were you. If you touch the chakra beam, the poison is so potent that it will literally melt your skin." Doku said.

Iduna looked at him with a surprised expression on her face, but it quickly spread into a smile. She nodded her thanks, smirking to herself as a blush formed on the Poison element's cheeks. Then, the two of them turned to the other brother – the one who was attacking Naruto. Iduna's eyes narrowed, but, before she could do anything, Sasuke took the time to show off once again. The dark haired Genin was about to release a jutsu when, in the blink of an eye, Kakashi was standing with the attacker's neck nestled underneath his arm.

"Kakashi-sensei!" the white haired kunoichi exclaimed, a wide smile spreading across her face. It was then that she noticed that Kakashi also had a firm grip on the one that had previously been pinned to the tree by Doku's poison needles.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." The silver haired Jounin said, "I should have moved to help you sooner. Before you were injured." The comment made Iduna's eyes widen and she glanced toward the blond haired Genin. She was by his side almost at once, holding the injured hand in front of her face. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as she examined the wound.

"It never occurred to me that you would freeze up." The silver haired Jonin said in concern. Sasuke turned to look at Naruto and gave him a look that Iduna didn't like.

"Hey," he started, "Are you alright…you big chicken?" the white haired kunoichi's eyes narrowed and she tightened her grip on Naruto's hand.

"Shut it, Sasuke-teme. You're just a showoff." She said, sick and tired of the way the Uchiha always tried to show off.

"Iduna, calm down. This is no time for fighting." Their Sensei scolded lightly, "Their claws are poisoned. We have to clan that wound as soon as possible." Kakashi said, "If we cut it open more deeply, the blood flow will wash the poison away. For now, keep it as still as possible so the poison doesn't spread."

"There is no need for that." Doku softly said, surprising everyone. He approached the one who held his Hime's affections and grasped the same hand softly. He examined the wound and scoffed. "It is a weak poison. I can take care of it." He continued as his hand started to glow a soft purple.

"Poizun Gaijo." He said, swiftly raising his hand and drawing out the poison from Naruto's wound. As he did this, Kakashi turned to Tazuna.

"Tazuna-san."

"Wha…what is it?" the old bridge builder questioned.

"I need to speak with you." The silver haired Jonin said in a hard tone. "Our attackers appeared to be journeymen level shinobi of the Kirigakure clan – mist shinobi." He said, nodding his head to the two men that were held underneath his arms, "They are shinobi renowned for their willingness to fight on until their goal is achieved, even at the cost of their own lives." He explained as he tied the two Kiri shinobi to a tree.

"Obviously, they were watching and waiting for us. The sun is out, and it hasn't rained for several days…so there shouldn't have been any puddles on the ground." The silver haired Jonin explained.

Tazuna stared at him, uncomfortable. "If you knew all that, why did you even let those creeps attack you?"

"I could have killed them at any time," Kakashi started, "but…I wanted to find out who their real target was."

"What do you mean by that?" the elderly bridge builder questioned.

"Were you really the one they were after? Or was it one of us shinobi?" Kakashi questioned, "There has been no word of any shinobi seeking to take your life. The request that was relayed to Hokage-sama was that you have an escort to protect you against any roving bands of thieves and brigands."

Everyone was silent for a few moments before Kakashi spoke again. "In any case, it's clear this is more than a 'B' rank mission."

Tazuna said nothing.

"To protect you from ordinary dangers until you complete the bridge you're constructing would be a simple thing."

Tazuna still said nothing, but he looked to his feet.

"But if you expected to be the target of a shinobi assault then it is beyond question that this would have been classified – and priced – as a mission for an elite shinobi. You may have had your reasons, but it is never a good idea to conceal the facts when you are asking for help. As it is, this tasks falls far beyond the boundaries of the job we were assigned." The silver haired Jonin said in a smooth voice.

"We're not good enough yet to handle something quite like this…can we quit?" Sakura questioned, looking like she really did want to quit.

"We'll need an anesthetic for Naruto's wound before we can re-open it and rain the poison. Can't we return to the village and have a doctor look at it?" she questioned. Iduna stared at her with a dumfounded expression. Doku glared at her with his good eye. Hadn't she been watching when he effortlessly and painlessly removed the poison from Naruto's person?

"You. Are. An. Idiot." Iduna hissed at her before turning her head and addressing Naruto.

"Do you want to go back?" she questioned quietly as she dug through her pack. She produced a roll of bandages and quickly wrapped his wound. He stared at her, deep in thought before taking out a kunai. He quickly sliced open a finger and stated, "With this kunai knife, I promise you, I…will protect the old man. Reporting for duty, Sensei!"

The white haired kunoichi smiled widely and wrapped her arms around Naruto in the form of a hug.

"I'm proud of you." She whispered in his ear. "I really am."


	17. Going Ashore

**Lol Alright, I'm on a roll! I'm actually planning on finishing off Volume 2 of the manga and then I'll take another short hiatus so I can plan a little more for the story. **

**Thanks to:**

**GaarasMyBoyzz - Oh hush. I did get in a little over my head with all the stories I posted at once. I do know that I'll always finish a story, no matter how long it'll take me.**

**Elemental Dragon Swordsman - Yes, yes Doku will lol. He'll always use it as teasing material.**

**Alpenwolf - *HUGS* Yeah, that's what I would think (with the whole Kirigakure clan) but I was just putting down what was in the manga with that. Stupid English translators lol and thanks for letting me know that. New keyboard and all and sometimes my fingers slip. For the whole Doku thing - I'm planning on having him fight his own opponent =D**

**joao brasileiro - A kiss is coming up =D I have to start slow because they're only like twelve y'know.**

**Randomnameinsertedhere - lol to the name. Thanks for the review!**

**RedRangerBelt - No, I don't think Sasuke will. Yes, Zabuza is in the end of this chapter. I think she and Sakura will have a heart to heart soon, but that'll be after Iduna are going to tell Naruto her secrets (and mabye Naruto'll get a kiss, too.)**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Going Ashore**

* * *

The white haired kunoichi looked nervously at the water that surrounded their little boat. They had travelled on land as far as they were able, but soon enough they had to find other means of transportation.

Doku glanced at her with a sympathetic glance. He knew her fear of the water was a rather well deserved fear. Their uncle had tried to drown her when they were little. She didn't know to swim at the time and she almost died…if it hadn't been for Kosumo. To this day she still couldn't swim well. She preferred to freeze the water so she could stand on it.

"I can barely see a thing." Doku murmured as he narrowed his eyes. Gaidoku chirped in agreement, not liking the fog. Saiki was flying above them, too high for any eye – trained or untrained – to see. He knew how to manipulate his dragon-chakra to shield himself. It was a dragon trait.

"We'll be able to see the bridge in a minute." The rower of the boat explained, "On the other side of it is Nami no Kuni – the Land of the Waves."

Everyone looked through the fog and, suddenly, a large bridge loomed over them. Naruto's face lit up in excitement.

"Whoa!" he shouted, "It's huge!"

Iduna chuckled lightly and shook her head while Doku sighed in exasperation.

"Hey! Keep it down!" the boat navigator hissed, "This mist'll keep us hidden, but from this point on, we have to turn off our engines and row. We'd be in big trouble if Gato caught us."

The white haired kunoichi shuddered, remembering when they first heard about Gato from Tazuna and Kakashi.

"_Uh…Sensei-san?" Tazuna started in a quiet voice, "uh…there's something you should know about the request for help I made to your village." He said as the seven of them disembarked from the small boat. Kakashi looked at him with his eye narrowed._

"_As you guessed, this job is more dangerous than you and your students were led to believe. There's a real scary man who wants to see me dead." _

_Iduna cocked her head to the side. "A real scary man?" she questioned as Doku tensed beside her. _

"_Who is he?" the silver haired Jonin questioned. _

"_You've probably heard of him." Tazuna said in a defeated voice. "His name is Gato!"_

_Kakashi started in surprise, "You mean…Gato of Gato Shipping and Transport? The Gato? They say he's the richest man in the world!" the silver haired Jonin exclaimed._

"_That's the one." The elderly bridge builder sighed, nodding his head. "On the surface, he looks like a legitimate businessman. The truth is he's a ruthless murdering criminal who employs gangs and teams of shinobi, and traffics in drugs and contraband. He starts out taking over companies…and ends up running entire countries. He lives by every low and vicious trade known to man." The bridge builder explained as they continued to travel to his home. _

"_It was just one year ago…that he set his sights on the Land of the Waves…" Tazuna's voice grew bitter. "He came under the guise of a business venture. Then the violence began, and in no time at all, he'd take over our entire marine transportation and shipping industry, and we were all under his thumb!" he let out a rueful laugh, "Gato now has a stranglehold on all forms of transportation, the lifeblood of an island nation, and a stranglehold on all the wealth. The only thing he has to fear is that which has been underway for some time. The completion of that bridge!" _

_Sakura decided it was time to interject her opinion. Iduna really wanted to wipe that look off her face, but she was silent for Naruto's sake. It just irked her that she thought so little of her teammates and so highly of Sasuke-teme!_

"_I…see…" Sakura said, a hand on her chin, "And as the architect of the bridge and overseer of its construction…you, Tazuna-san, are very much in his way."_

_Iduna nodded her head. "That means that the shinobi who attacked us were working for Gato most likely." She added._

_Tazuna was silent as he looked to his feet. Naruto looked like he was lost, which wasn't new, but Kakashi stared at Tazuna with a face full of contemplation. "But…I still don't understand." He said, "If you knew you were the target of a ruthless thug with shinobi at his disposal…why didn't you tell us when you asked for help?"_

"_Nami no Kuni isn't a real prosperous land." The elderly bridge builder said in a quiet tone, "Even our local Lords are poor. And I have no money at all. An elite B-ranked bodyguard would be a lot more than I could afford." He sighed._

_The white haired kunoichi looked at the bridge builder with a sad expression. She knew where he was coming from even though his actions were not the best._

"_But if you all turn away from me now…then I'm as good as dead. But…" he paused before giving the Genin and Kakashi a forced grin, "Oh well! That's not your concern! You won't be there to see my daughter and ten year old grandson cry all day like their hearts are breaking!" _

_Iduna gasped, stepping back and hiding behind her two boys. _

"_Oh! And you won't mind if my daughter vows eternal hatred of all the shinobi of your village as she lives her life alone! Heck! I suppose it's not your fault!" he laughed out as his shinobi-for-hire stared at him with odd expressions. _

"_Well…I suppose it can't be helped." Kakashi said with a sigh. "We'll continue to protect you, at least until you return to your country!" _

She sat in the boat, stiff as a board as she looked straight ahead of her.

"Tazuna…" the navigator of the boat hissed, "So far it looks like we've been overlooked. Just to be on the safe wide we'll take an inland waterway through town to a point where we can make landfall under the cover of mangroves." He continued. The bridge builder thanked him and Iduna smiled.

"Hey, Iduna…what are mangroves?" Naruto whispered to his friend.

"They're tropical evergreens – trees – that grow along the shorelines and river banks. They look like floating forests when the tide is high." The white haired kunoichi explained in a stiff tone. He looked at her, wondering why she was so afraid of the water. She must know how to swim because of her element, right? Ice was, after all, a mixture of wind and water chakra…right?

He shook his head and turned back to the tunnel that they were going through. As they came out on the other end, he finally saw what she meant about the trees.

"Wow!" he exclaimed, face lighting in excitement. The navigator let them off at a secluded boathouse.

"This is as a far as I go. Take care of yourselves." The navigator said.

"Thanks…for taking such a risk. I shouldn't have asked it." He said, but the navigator had already rowed away.

"Okay! Now, if I can just make it home in one piece…" Tazuna said, playing the situation up.

"Yeah, yeah." Kakashi said as they walked away. As they walked, Naruto kept glancing to the raven haired Genin. He felt threatened by him. Saskue was one for showing off and Naruto felt as if he did it for attention. He was keeping Sakura and Iduna's attention on him. He felt irked that Sasuke was getting Iduna's attention. He growled and then threw a kunai into the bushes.

"Naruto?" Iduna gasped, looking deeply into the bushes to see if anything was there. Everyone was silent for a few seconds before Naruto stood, embarrassed.

"I…uh, guess it was only a mouse." He said, brushing his hair back.

"What mouse? Are you out of your mind? There was nothing there, you moron!" Sakura shouted and Iduna whirled around.

"Shut it! I'm sick and tired of your annoying screeching! Naruto is just being himself and that is more than what I can say for you. All you think about is one thing: how to get Sasuke's attention. Leave Naruto alone!" the white haired kunoichi said, the air around them cooling for emphasis. Iduna's skin took on a bluish tint as her ice element started to freeze her cells, but she was not bothered by it.

"Please calm down, Iduna-chan. Naruto…please don't play around with your shuriken and kunai. They can be just a teensy bit dangerous!" the silver haired Jonin said as he cowered from Iduna's outburst.

Naruto smiled, excited that he was in the white haired kunoichi's favor. Doku frowned, sensing something from the bushes behind them. Naruto must have sense it, too, for he inadvertently threw a shuriken in that direction. The five Genin went to investigate the possible target when they saw that it was just a rabbit.

"Naruto! Look what you did!" Sakura exclaimed. Iduna frowned and couldn't help but agree with the pink haired kunoichi in this particular situation. She was a lover of animals.

Kakashi, however, noticed something that his Genin failed to notice. The rabbit was a snow hare – but what he didn't know was why it was still covered in white fur. The fur of the snow hare changes color with the seasons. In winter, when there is very little sunlight, the pelt is white.

Kakashi stood for a while, observing his surroundings. Then, a thought hit him. A rustle in the leaves caused him to move, shouting as he did so.

"Everyone take cover!"

Sasuke and Sakura dove to the ground. Doku pushed Tazuna over and Gaidoku covered his head. Saiki pushed Iduna and Naruto to the ground, covering their heads with his impressive wings. Kakashi slid to the ground and all of them were able to avoid the large zanbato that embedded itself into the tree next to where Kakashi had been standing. A man landed on the hilt of the large sword. Iduna shuddered, not liking the glare he was giving their silver haired Jonin.

The man's chest was bare, but he had on striped pants. He also wore arm warmers and leg warmers that were camouflaged, but they only served to remind the Genin of cows. He wore bandages over his face and his hitai-ate was tied so that the metal laid sideways.

"Well, well…if it isn't Momochi Zabuza, the kid who ran off and left the Land of Mist!" Kakashi exclaimed. Naruto quivered in anticipation. He almost darted forward, but Iduna caught his hand and shook her head, fearing for him if he were to attack.

"Don't interfere." She whispered to him, "Give Kakashi-Sensei room."

"This one is on a different plan from our previous opponents." The Jonin murmured down at him. The five Genin students watched as Kakashi reached up with his free hand.

"This may be a little rough."


	18. Game Over!

**I know, I know, this is short. I go by the chapters in the manga so...blame it for being short!**

**Thanks to:**

**GaarasMyBoyzz - Lol I'm sorry! I've got a huge imagination. Some of them'll be kinda awkward or difficult so they might be shorter than others, but at least I'll finish the idea. Anyway, You've got all your requested characters lol.**

**Randomninja239 - lol thanks for the review.**

**Alpenwolf - *HUG* Hm...not a bad idea. Now, they may be able to do one major thing, but it'll drain their chakra. Iduna can change the temperature around her body and freeze her skin now, but not much more. They'll be able to do more around the Chuunin Exams =D (I actually have a plan that Kosumo will be able to teach them how to use the lvl 3 of their kekkei genkai.) **

**Elemental Dragon Swordsman - Yeah, she'll freak out for sure. Especially since she has the fear of water.**

**RedRangerBelt - Actually, Iduna and Haku have a heart to heart during the battle. Something big is going to happen =D**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Game Over!**

* * *

"Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye, I presume?" the odd looking man, the one called Zabuza, questioned in a deadly voice, "If it wouldn't be too much trouble…" he pause for what he thought was a dramatic effect, "Could you surrender the old man?"

Kakashi still stood in a defensive stance, one hand ready to pull his hitai-ate up from his covered eye. "Assume the Manji Battle Formation! Protect Tazuna-san…" the silver haired Jonin said in a calm voice, "All of you, stay out of the fight. That's the kind of teamwork this situation demands."

Zabuza looked down with blank and slightly curious eyes.

"And now…Zabuza…" Naruto and the others watched closely as their Sensei finally revealed his covered eye. Iduna took in a sharp breath. She had heard rumors of the Sharingan from her time in the library.

"Ahh…to face the legendary Mirror-wheel Eye so early in our acquaintance…this _is_ an honor." Zabuza harshly chuckled in sarcasm.

"You keep calling it a mirror eye, a Sharingan Eye…what the heck is it?" Naruto exclaimed. Iduna placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"This is not the time for questions, Naruto." She quietly said, feeling her hands lose their heat as she concentrated her element around her skin. She let go of the boy as he stared at her hands in confusion and worry. He had noticed her skin take on a blue tint.

"Shinobi who have the Sharingan Eye…" Sasuke began, shocking the other Genin, "Have mastered a form of ocular Ninjutsu. It enables them to penetrate and see the reality behind any illusion or spell and to reflect the power of the magics they penetrate back on those who cast them! A Mirror-wheel, or Sharingan, Eye is one of several types used by the masters…" the dark Genin explained. "And there's more…"

"Like what?" Naruto asked in a tone of curiosity.

"Exactly." Zabuza laughed, "There is indeed more. Most formidable of all is the acuity with which the Sharingan can discern and then duplicate its opponent's greatest skill. When I was an assassin for the Kiragakure…I possessed the usual Bingo Book – a kind of who's who of our enemies. It had quite the extensive write-up on you…" the dark haired enemy said in a nonchalant manner, "Including a mention of your impressive record. The man who penetrated and copied over a thousand different techniques…Kakashi the Mirror Shinobi."

Everyone stared at the silver haired shinobi with varying looks of disbelief and awe. Sasuke, however, glared at the man. The Sharingan, after all, was supposed to be unique to only a small number of the Uchiha clan.

"Enough." Zabuza cut through their thoughts. "Pleasant as this conversation has been, the time for talk is over. I'm on a very tight schedule to polish off the old man." The other shinobi said in a deadly tone. Tazuna gasped, but the Genin surrounded him in their required defensive position. Doku stood a little ways off as he had never actually trained in this defensive style before.

"But…Kakashi…it looks like…I''m going to have to kill you first."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed as Zabuza disappeared, Zanbato disappearing as well. He reappeared on top of the water that was a few yards away. His left arm was stretched upward while his right hand formed a seal.

"Over there!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Is he…walking on water?" Sakura questioned. Iduna and Doku shared looks. It didn't really phase them because they had seen Mizu walk on water plenty of times.

"The finest of the Shinobi arts…" Zabuza murmured, "The Kirigakure Jutsu." He said before he disappeared again.

"He will come after me first…" Kakashi murmured to himself, "Momochi Zabuza…of the Kirigakure Assasin Corps…is a famous master of the art of silent killing." He said in a louder voice, warning his students and Tazuna, "Letting your guard down around him buys you a direct trip to Heaven. I haven't necessarily mastered every aspect of the Sharingan Eye…so all of you stay on your toes!"

The five Genin tensed as fog started to roll in around her. Iduna extended her freezing chakra, trying to freeze the fog so it would disperse.

"What's with all this fog?" Narugo growled as he backed up.

"**There are eight targets.**" A deep, slithering voice hissed from the fog. Sakura squealed and started to panic.

"**Throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, the jugular vein, the subclavian artery, kidney, heart." **The voice continued, "**So many choices…what vital, vulnerable place shall I choose?**" the voice laughed out as Kakashi quickly formed a hand sign with his fingers. The Genin gasped as they felt Zabuza's killing intent and Sasuke began to freak out. He leaned forward as his body started to lightly convulse and sweat trailed down his face. He lowered the hand with the kunai knife in it, almost lowering his stance completely.

"Sasuke." The silver haired Jonin said, "Calm down. Even if he gets me, I'll still protect you." He turned his face so that his students could see his closed eye, "I will never let my comrades die!"

The Genin relaxed, but just as quickly as safe feeling came, it was destroyed as Zabuza appeared in between the smaller bodies. They gasped, jumping away from Zabuza. Iduna tried to reach out with her freezing chakra, but she only managed to scrape the edge of the Zanbato. Kakashi swiftly dashed forward, digging a kunai knife deep into Zabuza's side, but the body exploded into water. Another Zabuza appeared behind the silver haired Jonin and Naruto tried to warn him.

"Sensei, behind you!" the blond shinobi exclaimed, but it was too late. Zabuza effectively sliced Kakashi into bits, but the pieces of his body simply melted away into water. Zabuza's eyes widened just a little, surprised by the fact that Kakashi was able to copy him through the mist.

"Don't move." Kakashi said as he placed a kunai knife to Zabuza's throat.

"Game over." The silver haired Jonin said as he placed the knife even deeper against the other shinobi's throat**.**

"Awesome!" Naruto sighed in relief while Sakura giggled. Iduna and Doku were smarter than that. They knew from experience at the Ryuujin Compound to always expect the unexpected. They were proven correct when Zabuza began to laugh.

"Heh, you think it's over?" he questioned, "You just don't get it. It will take more to defeat me than mimicking me like an ape." He said with his deep voice, "A lot more."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he considered what the other shinobi was telling him.

"But you are good!" Zabuza laughed, "In that short time…you duplicated my Mizu Bunshin Jutsu. And by making you Bunshin say something you'd have said yourself you ensured all my attention would be focused on it while you yourself used the Kirigakure technique of hiding in the mist, watching my every move!" he continued to laugh.

"Too bad for you…" he said as his body melted to the ground, "I am not that easy to fool." Another Zabuza appeared right behind the silver haired Jonin with a kunai knife held to his throat instead.

"Zabuza was a Mizu Bunshin, too!"


	19. Ninja!

**Right so here is chapter eighteen!**

**Thanks to:**

**Yourbiggestfan - Smiles at the name! =) I'm glad that you like the story!**

**GaarasMyBoyzz - Yays for the chocolate XD and duh. I'm just going to take like forever to actually finish all of the stories lol**

**Alpenwolf - *HUG* Hm...You're probably right, but I was just putting down what the English translation had. I would totally put the Japanese version down, but I can't read Japanese...I wish I could, though.**

**RedRangerBelt - lol some of those questions can't be answered yet, but Sasuke knows about the Sharingan because his brother activated it before he murdered the family.**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Ninja!**

* * *

It was very fast. So fast that the Genin had trouble keeping up with the fight. The two Jonin moved like dancers, keeping their moves swift and deadly. Zabuza swung his Zanbato at his opponent, moving so swiftly that the silver haired Jonin's hair was ruffled even though he had dodged downward to avoid it. The blade of the large sword created a large gash in the earth, eventually getting itself stuck, but Zabuza used the momentum to complete a surprise attack.

Kakashi, who had not been expecting his opponent to retaliate so quickly, bit back a surprised groan as Zabuza landed a hit on his ribs. He was thrown back between a surprised Tazuna and a scared Sakura. The other Jonin was intent on finishing Kakashi off, even going so far as to grab his Zanbato and push off from the ground, but several sparkling objects on the ground caught his attention.

"Caltrops…" Iduna whispered to herself as she noticed the small pronged stars scattered along the ground. Instead of going after his silver haired opponent, Kakashi fell into the water. Iduna shivered and stared, wide eyed at the place where her teacher fell into the water. Doku inched closer to her, ready to defend her if needed.

Naruto's eyes widened and he exclaimed, "Sensei!"

Sakura stared at the wonder, wondering if her Sensei had really been kicked that long distance or if it had been a trick.

Sasuke was frozen, admiring Zabuza's fierce strength.

Kakashi emerged from the water, trying to tread through the heavy substance. It was heavier than normal and it was not a good thing.

"Hah! Gullible fool!" Zabuza exclaimed as he appeared, standing on the water behind the surprised silver haired Jonin, "Suiro no Jutsu!"

Kakashi was surprised as a large sphere of water swirled up around him, effectively trapping the silver haired Jonin in a prison of water. Iduna's pupils dilated as her breathing hitched. It took all of her training not to rush forward and try to freeze the water so her Sensei could break out. She had the others to think about.

_I thought I could go underwater and regroup, but it was a tactical error! _Kakashi berated himself as he glanced at his students. Zabuza laughed from beside him.

"That prison is inescapable. You're trapped." The dark haired Jonin said in a sadistic voice, "You running around free makes it to hard for me to do my job." He brought up his free hand in a symbol, "I'll finish you later…after I've dealt with all the others."

He created a Mizu Bunshin and Kakashi's eyes widened in alarm. Iduna looked at the Mizu Bunshin, debating whether or not it would be wise to use one of her new techniques. This was one she shared with the other Dragoons as it was a great help to them during battle. She waited until the right time, slowly nodding to the Poison element to her side. She jerked her head to the others and then whispered to him.

"I have a plan. I'm going to try to freeze the prison capturing Kakashi. Let the others know." She whispered and he nodded, inching towards Sasuke. He was the closest to him at the moment. He whispered to him the plan and he nodded, saying that he would come up with something if it didn't work. He signaled to Naruto and Sakura to be ready.

"Ryuujin Gekido no Jutsu!" both Iduna and Doku exclaimed at the same time. Their eyes dilated into cat slits, their incisors grew to fang like levels and their hair started to stand up in a more feral outlook. Their hands curved into claws and scales started to crawl up their arms. Iduna's scales were a very light blue while Doku's were dark purple. They glanced at each other and grinned.

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke looked at them in shock while Zabuza and Kakashi looked at the two in curiosity. Then, the two took off. Saiki and Gaidoku circled overhead, ready to help if they were needed.

This was the second level of their kekkei genkai. It was a shame that it only lasted for five minutes.

Doku took out the Mizu Bunshin in less than a minute, digging his claws into the fake skin and pumping it full of poison. The two Jonin looked at each other before Zabuza smirked under his bandages.

"Well, well. It seems like I have some competition, after all." He mused to himself as the white haired girl came near. All she needed to do was touch the water spiral and pump her chakra in it just for a couple of seconds and she was sure that either she or Kakashi would be able to break it. Zabuza growled and created several more Mizu Bunshin. They were fast, too. Despite how agile the two Dragoons were, they could barely make it to the water's edge. Iduna's fear kicked in, but she knew that it was worth saving her Sensei. If she saved her Sensei, he could defeat Zabuza and save her Genin partners…he could save Naruto.

Soon, Doku and Iduna were surrounded by the Mizu Bunshin and their five minutes were almost up. Doku looked toward his Princess and dashed towards her, Gaidoku providing cover as he breathed in the Mizu Bunshin's faces. He grabbed Iduna by the waist and threw her as far as he could with his temporarily enhanced strength. She shot forward, arms stretched out before her so that she could pump her chakra through her claws, but right when she was about to slash at the swirling mass of water, she was caught by the hair by a stray Mizu Bunshin. She screamed in pain and was flung back into Naruto's arms.

"Iduna, are you okay?" he questioned as he sat back up. Doku jumped back as Saiki landed in front of Naruto and Iduna, hissing as a warning to the dark haired Jonin. Everyone gasped as the two returned to normal, and yet another Mizu Bunshin took form in front of them.

"Nice try, little dragons." He then started to laugh, focusing his attention on Naruto, who was the closest to the Bunshin other than the girl still in his arms. "Little shinobi wannabe, trying so hard to fit in, you even wear a hitai-ate." The Jonin sneered, "But a true shinobi is one who has crossed and recrossed the barrier of the lands of the living and the dead. Clothes don't make a shinobi. You need skills good enough to rate a listing in my Bingo Book of Enemies before you deserve to be called shinobi." He said. He formed a hand sign.

"We don't call your kind 'shinobi'. We call them…" he vanished and Naruto looked up and around, arms tightening around a tired Iduna. Suddenly, he was kicked in the face. He lost his hitai-ate, but he wouldn't relinquish his grip on the white haired kunoichi. He managed to land with his back on the ground with the girl landing on his chest. Zabuza stomped down on his hitai-ate, laughing once again.

"Naruto, are you alright?" the white haired girl wheezed out.

"Brats." The real Zabuza growled. Kakashi winced and decided that it would be better for his students to escape.

"Everyone, Listen!" he called out, "Take Tazuna and go! It's a fight you can't win! I appreciate your attempt at rescuing me Iduna, Doku, but you can't beat him! If he wants to hold me in this water prison, he can't leave this place." The silver haired Jonin exclaimed, "If his Mizu Bunshin gets more than a certain distance away from his real bodyhe loses control of it! So get out of here!"

Naruto tightened his grip on the white haired kunoichi. He had promised her a long time ago that he would be the one to protect her, but she was the one protecting him. He looked down and saw his bandaged hand and finger. He had sliced open his finger and promised that he would not be the one who was going to freeze. He _would_ protect Iduna if it cost him his life!

He rose, helping his white haired friend to her feet and gently pushing her behind Doku. He then ran as fast as he could toward the Mizu Bunshin, ignoring the calls of his comrades.

"Stop, you fool!" Kakashi shouted to him.

"Naruto, don't!" Iduna yelled, scared for him.

"Naruto! What are you thinking?" Sakura screeched behind him. He was hit and he flew back behind his comrades, bouncing along the ground.

"What were you thinking, tackling him by yourself?" Sakura screamed at him, "You think you're so cool, but junior shinobi like us cant…" she was cut off as Iduna slapped her across the face.

"Shut. Up." She hissed, pointing to the object in Naruto's hand. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Iduna walked towards the blond shinboi, helping him tie the hitai-ate back on as they both trembled. He trembled from adrenaline and fear for Iduna's safety. She trembled from lack of energy and fear for her team's safety. He panted, blood dripping from a cut on his lip.

"Hey…you…" he started, panting for a few seconds, "What's life without eyebrows, freak?"

Iduna couldn't help but chuckle at her friend's idiotic question.

"Got a new listing for your Bingo Book right here! A guy who is going to be the next Hokage-Sama of Konohagakure." He then stood up straight, lightly pushing Iduna behind him. Saiki hissed in agreement as he came to stand by the two.

"Uzumaki Naruto! Konoha shinobi!" he exclaimed as he formed a plan. It was sort of like Iduna's plan, but instead of going straight for the water prison, they were going for Zabuza.

"Sasuke! Listen up. There's something I want to tell you!" he yelled.

"What is it?" for once, Sasuke was complying with the blond shinobi.

"I have a plan." Naruto said.

"Hmf…so it's time for some teamwork?" the dark haired shinobi questioned.

"Okay, let's get busy!" Naruto exclaimed. Iduna watched as Sakura watched Naruto, a blush forming on her face. The white haired kunoichi frowned, not believing that Sakura would be attracted to Naruto just because he was confident and had a plan.

She could be feeling jealous…could she?


	20. The Secret Plan

**Woo, here's one more before I go to bed tonight. =) Oh, and I forgot to explain this in the last chapter. "Ryuujin Gekido no Jutsu" roughly translates into "Dragon God's Rage Technique" and as you can see, it gives the user dragon like qualities and enhances their physical abilities for five minutes so far. When they get older, the time will increase.**

**Thanks to:**

**GaarasMyBoyzz - Man, I hope this site lasts. If not, I can probably just post them on facebook and put like dozens of disclaimers on them or something. I mostly write these for fun, but it's nice to get feedback to help me grow as a writer.**

**Iwantsahug - lol *Hug* love your name. Thanks for the compliments.**

**Alpenwolf - *HUG* I know what you mean. Nowadays I go to the Naruto wiki so I can find what the techniques are in Japanese. And yes, I got the freezing the water prison from you =P**

**Elemental Dragon Swordsman - I know right, but then again, there wouldnt be much of a fight if it ended quickly.**

* * *

**Chapter Ninteen**

**The Secret Plan**

* * *

Naruto looked forward with a determined gleam in his bright blue eyes. "Time for us…to rock n' roll!" he exclaimed as he smirked.

The Zabuza Mizu Bunshin that was standing in front of them snickered, so sure that the blond shinobi was no threat to him. "You're very sure of yourself. But…" he continued to chuckle, "Do you really think you stand a chance against me? Your little friends already tried and they failed."

Kakashi's expression was one of panic. He couldn't understand why his students were still standing there. Of course he could sense the chakra loss in both Iduna and Doku – that dragon's technique took a lot out of them – but the others should have run by now.

"What's the matter with you?" the silver haired Jonin exclaimed in an almost desperate voice, "I told you to run. It's over…it was over the second he caught me!" he tried to get them to run, but he could see that his words were having no effect on his students. "You have to do your duty. Keep that in mind. We're here to protect Tazuna-san!"

Naruto's eyes widened and he looked towards the old bridge builder. "Gramps?" he questioned in a small voice. The old man sighed and looked up at them.

"What?" he questioned, "Let's face facts. The truth is, I got us into this mess by lying." Tazuna began in a guilty voice, "I've had a real long life, and it would be wrong to let you five kids and your Sensei get yourselves killed trying to save me."

He sighed and then looked each of the Genin in the eye. "So you go ahead…give this fight everything you've got."

Iduna and Doku smiled softly at the old man. Sakura growled, wanting to get the mission complete, but Sasuke smirked.

"So that's it!" he muttered and Naruto nodded his head.

"Aere you ready for this?" Naruto questioned and the Zabuza Mizu Bunshin started to shake with laughter. He lowered his head before throwing it back, angering Naruto and Sasuke.

"Apparently you don't care whether you live to get any older!" he exclaimed in a darkly excited voice. "Playing at being shinobi like it's a child's game." The Mizu Bunshin clenched his hand, "I, however…by the time I was your age…I had already dyed these hands in my enemies' blood." His eyes widened and he looked purely demonic as he gazed down at his hand as if it were still drenched in blood.

The Genin gulped, wondering what they had really gotten themselves into.

"The Demon…Zabuza!" Kakashi warned while still trapped inside the water sphere.

"It would seem my reputation has preceded me." Zabuza murmured. Kakashi glared at him and, once again, tried to warn his students away.

"Long ago, in the Village Hidden in the Mist – also known as "The Village of the Bloody Mist," the final step toward becoming a full-fledged shinobi was the most inhumanly difficult imaginable." He stared imploringly at his Genin squad.

"So…" Zabuza drawled, looking down at the silver haired shinobi, "You've heard about our little graduation exercise."

"Graduation exercise?" Naruto questioned, but Zabuza just continued to laugh.

"Wh-what graduation exercise?" the blond shinobi questioned again, but Zabuza only laughed louder. Finally, the darker haired Jonin snapped his eyes open and stared Naruto down.

"It's a kind of killing spree among classmates." He explained and Naruto's eyes widened significantly. Iduna gasped and covered her mouth, eyes narrowed in a sick sense of understanding.

"Students who'd been friends, eating from the same dish, as undergrads were divided into pairs who were forced to fight against each other…to the death." Zabuza explained in a mocking sense, "Think of it. Comrades who had trained together, lived together, shared each other's every hope and dream…"

Sakura stared at him with wide eyes. "That's terrible." She said, but Iduna had the idea that the pink haired kunoichi didn't really understand the extent of this 'killing spree' Zabuza was talking about.

"Ten years ago, the elders of the Village Hidden in the Mist were forced to enact a sweeping reform of their barbaric graduation ritual. Because of the appearance, during the previous year…of a human fiend who made reform essential." The silver haired Jonin explained to his students. He was trying so hard to explain to his students why it was so important to leave and protect Tazuna…he really didn't want them to die.

"What kind of reform?" Sakura questioned and this time both Iduna and Doku glared at her. "What are you talking about? What did the fiend you're talking about do?"

"Sakura…" Iduna hissed, but Doku just shook his head. He wanted the pink haired kunoichi to learn what she so desperately wanted to learn.

"Without a moment's hesitation, without any hint of a qualm, a boy who hadn't even qualified yet as a shinobi…butchered over a hundred members of that year's graduating class." The silver haired shinobi sighed through his swirling water prison.

Zabuza's eyes lifted up as if he were remembering good times. "Ah, yes. Good times. I used to have such fun." He commented lightly as he grinned underneath the bandages he wrapped around his face. Then, his eyes narrowed and he stared at Naruto and Sasuke. They froze and, suddenly, the Mizu Bunshin was right in front of the darker haired Gein. The Bunshin kicked him in the stomach and then quickly elbowed him in the same lace.

Naruto made a noise of surprise, gasping as blood spattered from Sasuke's lips. The Bunshin drew back his fist and then just as quickly drove it into the Uchiha heir's stomach. Sasuke was harshly slammed into the ground, eyes screwed closed as blood splattered from his open mouth.

"Sasuke!" Sakura screeched as Zabuza stomped on the young shinobi's chest. Iduna was about to step forward despite how weak she was feeling, but Naruto moved more quickly. He formed the sign of the Kage Bunshin, mentally exhaling and creating several clones.

"So…Bunshin…and quite a lot of them…" the real Zabuza murmured to himself as he stared at the line of Narutos who surrounded him. Each and every copy of the blond shinobi drew a kunai knife from the pouch on his thigh.

"Ready or not!" every single one of them exclaimed as Sasuke rose to his knees. Blood still splattered from his mouth as he rose, but at least he still had the power to do so. The next second each and every one of them disappeared, all heading for one target. The Mizu bunshin. The Mizu Bunshin grabbed a hold of his Zanbato and, right before all of the Kage Bunshin stabbed him, landing on top of him in a heap, he sliced them into pieces. All of the Kage Bunshin disappeared, but the real Naruto was thrown into a tree. He wrestled with his bag and pulled out a large windmill shuriken, chucking it to Sasuke.

He threw it with desperation, hoping that the Uchiha heir was going to understand what he was trying to achieve. Sasuke snapped the windmill shuriken open, carefully twirling it around so he wouldn't accidentally cut himself on one of the sharp edges. Naruto winked at him and Zabuza stared at him with a questioning expression.

"Fuma Shuriken!" Sasuke exclaimed with a dark expression, holding the large shuriken in front of him, "Windmill of Shadows!" and he jumped up, twirling it with all of his might.

"Shuriken are useless against me!" Zabuza exclaimed through his Mizu Bunshin. That wasn't Sasuke's target, however. The Demon Wind Shuriken sailed past him, heading toward Zabuza's real body.

"At least this time you've had the sense to zero in on my true form." He said in a dark tone. The shuriken headed towards his body, but it did little damage as Zabuza caught it with his free arm. He looked down and gasped. "A second shuriken in the shadow of the first shuriken!" he had little time to decide on what to do as Kakashi stared at the second shuriken with a questioning gaze.

"Still an amateur!" Zabuza yelled out as he jumped over the shadow of the shuriken. Sakura gasped while Iduna and Doku had a suspicion of what happened. Sasuke smirked – their plan was working. The shadow shuriken suddenly disappeared and a familiar blond shinobi was in his place. Time stood still as he aimed for Zabuza, intent on freeing his sensei.

But the question still remained. Would this be good enough?


	21. Return of the Sharingan

**So...yes, Hau appears! The chapter is short, but the storyline is progressing! It is the best I could do since my ears died from having to listen to Rebecca Black on America's Got Talent. *shudders***

**The first technique is, of course, the water dragon bullet technique and the second is the waterfall technique.**

**Thanks to:**

**Spongebob - thanks for the review, but I'm a woman, dude.**

**GaarasMyBoyzz - Damn strait! I got so many ideas for Transformers stories XD**

**RandomNinja239 - lol I try to update fast. Thanks for the review.**

**Elemental Dragon Swordsman - I know right. I always thought that Sakura was really whiny until after the Chuunin exams. Maybe even a little after that, too.**

**Alpenwolf - *HUG* They don't like winy people and Sakura is being winy. And, really, Doku doesn't like anyone Iduna doesn't like lol.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

**Return of the Sharingan**

* * *

Zabuza started as he realized that the shadow shuriken had transformed to a familiar blond haired shinobi. He took the kunai in his hand and thrust it with all of his might towards the one who was keeping his silver haired Sensei captive.

"Yah!" he exclaimed as he let the kunai go, eyes narrowing as he watched its course. At first it looked like Zabuza was not going to do anything, but if one looked closely enough, he or she would see that the demon's eyes were growing wider as the kunai headed towards his face. Finally, when the kunai was right next to his shoulder, he withdrew his arm from the water prison with a sploosh. He jumped away, eye widening in anger as a small trail of blood floated from his face.

Nobody had made the Jonin bleed…especially not some little Genin!

"Naruto!" Iduna exclaimed as the others stared at him in astonishment. They were surprised and impressed that he had been able to complete his plan, but the white haired kunoichi saw his arm begin to twitch. A vein grew in the demon Jonin's head and he raised the arm that held the windmill shuriken. He tossed it up, swirling it around before throwing it as hard as he could towards the blond shinobi. But, before he could actually let it go, a familiar silver haired Jonin's hand blocked the spinning blade. The sickly crimson liquid trailed down his hand, but he didn't care. Water dripped from his form, but he didn't care. Kakashi glared at Zabuza, daring him to attack again.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" Sakura exclaimed as Naruto submerged himself into the water. Iduna twitched, not liking the fact that he was in the water. Zabuza could use the same technique on her friend.

"Naruto…" the silver haired Jonin started, "Your scheme was brilliant." He complimented in a smooth voice. "You've matured, all of you." He continued as he kept an eye on the demon he was fighting.

Naruto felt a grin stretch across his face. "The Bunshin wasn't meant to take down Zabuza at all. It diverted his attention away from me while I transformed myself into the second windmill shuriken! Of course, I didn't think that form alone would be enough to permit me to defeat him, but I was at least able to free you from his water prison." The blond shinobi explained. "The Bunshin were a distraction! Actually, I only needed one copy plus the genuine article. The true body transforms! It becomes the shuriken and folds itself up and lies in wait. Then the Bunshin takes hold of the main body, which looks like a shuriken, and…throws it over to Sasuke! Sasuke stacks it on top of another shuriken that he already had and throws them both!" he explained.

Iduna's eyes widened. Was it really a smart idea to explain his plans to an enemy that could use it on them?

Zabuza laughed, still standing in the same spot with his weapon embedded into Kakashi's hand. "So…you made me fly into such a rage that I unraveled the jutsu holding the water prison together." The Jonin mused in his dark voice.

"No!" Kakashi exclaimed, "You didn't drop your jutsu. It was broken from the outside." He said, praising his student. Zabuza growled in anger, a vein pulsing from his head.

"Just so you know, the same jutsu won't work on me twice." The silver haired Jonin said. "Your move."

Both of them jumped away from each other, keeping their balance on the water. Kakashi closed his regular eye, letting his Sharingan absorb the movements of his opponent. They both completed the same hand signs, finishing up with the same one: Tori, the sign of the bird.

"Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!" they both exclaimed at the same time and, from the water, exploded two water dragons. Iduna's eyes widened and she screamed, terrified of the water creations. Mizu knew this technique. She had perfected the technique and could summon it without hand signs. It was impressive.

Doku grabbed her and pushed her behind him, becoming her anchor as the water washed over them. The water created a large splash, shooting upward into the air.

"So many katas, performed so quickly…" the white haired girl whispered to herself, "and Kakashi-Sensei mirrored them all, flawlessly…instantly…" she had gained a newfound respect for the silver haired Sensei. The two Jonin stared at each other as the water from their jutsu dripped around them. Zabuza held his Zanbato against the metal plate on Kakashi's glove. They pushed off from each other, dashing around in a semi circle. Kakashi was predicting Zabuza's movement perfectly.

Their legs followed each other and their arms rose at the same time. Their hands created the same symbols and it was then that Zabuza began to feel a little tinge of fear. They stared at each other for a few seconds.

_All of my moves in gestures…he sees…_ the dark haired Jonin thought.

"…through them all!" Kakashi finished Zabuza's thought out loud. Kakashi's opponent freaked out, eyes widening as he realized that the silver haired Jonin was reading his mnd.

_Curse him! He's…_ his thought was once again cut off by Kakashi's voice.

"Got that sickeningly evil look in his eye…right?" he chuckled as he stared Zabuza down. The other man began to panic as his eyes widened. Another vein pushed forward on his forehead.

"Feh…you're a pale imitation." He said.

"**I'm the genuine article. No mere copycat stands a chance against me."** They both said at the same time. This managed to do nothing but piss Zabuza off even more. He screamed, enraged that Kakashi was able to tell what he was going to say.

"You mimic me like a parrot!" he exclaimed, performing a series of hand symbols, "I'll close your beak for good!" he exclaimed before stopping in mid symbol. He froze, suddenly seeing a vision of himself standing behind the silver haired Jonin. He was afraid, but then he wondered if it was another one of Kakashi's illusions.

He was too slow to initiate an attack.

"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!" the silver haired Jonin shouted out as his eye widened. The tomoe in his Sharingan started to spin, scaring the shit out of the dark haired opponent.

"Wh-what?" Zabuza questioned. _Before I could even finish my jutsu, he used the same technique against me…_ the Jonin thought as he was blasted away by a giant torrent of water. It swept him away like a bug or a piece of driftwood. He simply couldn't keep up with Kakashi.

Iduna screamed again as the water ambushed the Genin and the bridge builder. How she despised water with a passion. Baths, showers, and hot springs were alright, but this deep water that threatened to wash them away? No, she hated it. She feared it. She didn't want to be anywhere near it.

Zabuza groaned as four kunai pierced his flesh. "That's…that…you can see the future?" the dark haired Jonin questioned.

Kakashi appeared before him, Sharingan eye still visible. "I foresee your death." He hissed, but, before he could do anything, two senbon needles pierced Zabuza's neck. Everyone looked to Doku, but he shook his head and lifted his hands.

"It wasn't me!" they continued to look at him and he frowned. "Seriously, it wasn't me!"

Then, a blur of movement caught their attention from the tree across the clearing. A male figure dressed in strange clothing – and also bore a mask – stood there. He giggled before speaking for the first time.

"Your prediction came true." He said in a soft singsong voice. Iduna stared up at him with wide eyes, tilting her head to the side. There was something familiar about the boy who stood in the tree. There was something about the smooth tone of his voice that just made her think of her childhood.

What was it about this boy that was so familiar?


	22. Who are You?

**So, Naruto finally learns everything! Well, almost everything. He doesn't know about Haku yet 'cause Iduna doesn't know its Haku. **

**GaarasMyBoyzz - Yes. I was watching. I was fairly happy with it except for Rebecca Black...she made my ears want to bleed. **

**RedRangerBelt - She knows Haku from her childhood and she's the only one who really knows him (Doku knows of him, but doesn't know him personally). Zabuza comes back a little while and yes, he'll teach them tree climbing.**

**Alpenwolf - Well, I think he respects her decisions, but has enough common sense not to do something if he feels it isn't right. Sakura on the other hand...lol**

**Elemental Dragon Swordsman - Yup. She met him when they were young...but there's something else to it, too =)**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty One**

**Who are You?**

* * *

The mysterious boy was wearing strange clothing. He wore high cut pants with a turtleneck of the same color and design. It had long sleeves as well. He also wore a robe of dark colors with a scarf tied around his waist, almost like an obi-belt. His face was hidden behind a white porcelain mask with red swirls on it. His hair was tied up in a bun, covered by a piece of tan fabric and kept up with a small piece of twine. His bangs framed his face, reaching well past his shoulders, and the ends were tied with small bands.

Naruto crawled out of the water, shocked when he saw Zabuza's dead body. The two senbon needles were sticking out cleanly from his neck and blood oozed from the wounds. Kakashi kneeled on his tree branch before cleanly disappearing and reappearing next to the still body.

The other Genin, plus Tazuna, watched him, but Iduna's gaze always trailed back towards the mysterious boy. His stance was slightly feminine, too, but for some reason the white haired kunoichi knew he was a male. Instead of staring at the body, his target, the strange boy kept his gaze locked on hers.

The silver haired Jonin placed two fingers on Zabuza's neck, pressing his fingers into the vein so that he could see if the enemy was still alive. He glanced to look at the boy when he noticed that Zabuza held no pulse.

"Thank you for your help." The boy said, bowing, "I hope you don't mind my interfering, but I wanted the satisfaction of putting Zabuza out of his misery myself!"

The white haired kunoichi frowned. His voice seemed so very familiar.

"The mask is familiar…" Kakashi said, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but aent you a shinobi hunter from the Village Hidden in the Mist?"

The boy was silent for a few minutes before he responded.

"Well, aren't you the smart one?" his voice held a hint of nervousness, but it was probably due to being stared at by several young shinobi.

"A shinobi hunter?" Naruto exclaimed, dashing in front of Iduna and the others.

"I am, indeed, a member of the elite tracking unit from Kirigakure. It is our responsibility – and our art – to hunt down and deal with the rogues and the outlawas." The boy explained.

Kakashi didn't like the sound of his voice. Because of the boy's size and the sound of his voice, Kakashi judged that he couldn't much older than Naruto and the others…but he was already at the rank of Hunter.

Naruto dashed forward so that he was directly underneath the branch that the boy was standing on. He looked back and forth between the boy and Zabuza, confusing the Hunter.

"What's going on here? Who are you?" the blond shinobi exclaimed, jabbing a finger at the Hunter. Everyone stiffened – if Naruto insulted the Hunter, he could easily kill them.

"Relax, Naruto. He's not an enemy." The silver haired Jonin said as he rose to his feet.

"That's not what I asked! I mean…what I mean is…he killed Zabuza! He wasn't exactly a pushover!" Iduna's face softened as she listened to her friend freak out, "He got taken out by a guy who's only about my age! Like it was nothing! What, do we suck or something? What's up with that?" the blond haired shinobi whined.

"Oh…" Kakashi said in a small, understanding voice, "Well, you have my sympathy. I can see where a thing like that would be hard to accept." He continued as he came forward to stand in front of his student, "But it's a fact you'll have to live with." He sighed before patting Naruto's head.

"This probably won't be the last time we run into a kid who's both younger than you…and stronger than me." The silver haired Jonin said. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he thought about the possibilities of that happening. Kakashi groaned internally – he was actually using Naruto's head for support now. The boy disappeared, only to reappear by Zabuza's supposedly dead body.

"Your battle is over, for now and the remains must be disposed of lest they give up secrets to our foes." The boy said, placing a hand on Zabuza's body, "Well then, I must be off." He said, bringing a hand up and disappearing.

"He's gone!" Naruto exclaimed as Kakashi slid his hitai-ate back over his Sharingan. The silver haired Jonin sighed.

"Now!" he started, "We still have to escort Tazuna-san the rest of the way to his home. Let's put our best foot forward!" he exclaimed, trying to be excited for his students.

Then, Tazuna started to laugh. "You poor kids must be so humiliated!" he continued to laugh, "But never mind. You can lick your wounds at my house." And it was then that Kakashi collapsed. Everyone exclaimed different things and Iduna rushed to the silver haired man's side.

Sasuke and Naruto supported Kakashi while Iduna and Doku supported each other. Their dragons followed behind while Sakura led Tazuna behind the small train of Genin. They eventually came upon a house that was situated near the water.

"Are you alright, Sensei?" a pretty twenty eight year old woman asked. Her name was Tsunami and she was the daughter of Tazuna. She wore a dark skirt, and a white shirt with a black edging on her sleeves and neckline. Her hair was long and dark. When the Genin brought in Kakashi, she directed him towards a futon in the middle of the room. She let Doku and Iduna sit on some cushions to regain their strength and the two dragons were free to roam outside. They could hunt for their own fish…or it was more like Saiki would hunt fish and share with Gaidoku because of the small poison dragon's size. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were lounging around.

"No, but I will be in about a week." The silver haired sensei explained from his position on the futon.

"The Sharingan is an incredible power…" Sakura said in awe, "But doesn't the strain it puts on your body make you wonder if it's worth it?" she questioned. Kakashi was about to reply, but Tazuna interrupted him.

"This time you took down your strongest foe yet! So we can probably relax for a while." He exclaimed as he wiped his face with a cloth.

"I can't get my mind off that masked kid." Sakura said with a hand on her chin. This caught Iduna's attention.

"You're not the only one." The white haired kunoichi said, "He reminds me of someone I met in my childhood. I can't be certain it's him, though. I'd need to see his face."

"That mask is worn by the most elite and secret shinobi from Kirigakure. The Shinobi Hunters all wear them. Their unit is code-named the "Undertaker Squad" because they dispose of corpses so thoroughly, it's as though they never existed." The silver haired Jonin said after a short silence.

"Even after death, a shinobi's corpse may yield up its secrets, exposing the secrets of the skills it had mastered as well as retaining the aura of the chakras it was steeped in in the shinobi's native lands. Even the ingredients of any drugs or potions that body consumed became an open book." He paused to take a breath, "In the same way, when I die, If an enemy were to take possession of my remains, the corpse would reveal all of the anatomical idiosyncracies unique to possessors of the Sharingan. In the worst case, the enemy might gain enough information to be able to duplicate and master that power."

Kakashi looked around the room before continuing, "Shinobi corpses tell too many tales. Basically, Shinobi Hunters specialize in tracking down and eliminating rogue shinobi and obliterating their remains in order to protect the secrets of their home village from the rest of the world." He sighed, "Silently and without a trace. That's how shinobi leave the world."

"So, Zabuza's corpse will be dismembered and destroyed?" Sakura asked, feeling a bit grossed out, "That's so creepy!"

She didn't know it, but very close to their dwelling, the boy Hunter and Zabuza were laying on the forest floor. Well, actually, only Zabuza's body was laying. The Hunter was sitting next to him, getting ready to perform his job. He removed a certain instrument from a pack next to the body.

"First, I'll remove the wrappings around the mouth so the blood can drain it, and then…" he trailed off as he inched the instrument closer to the bandages. He drew back sharply when Zabuza's arm snapped up, snatching the Hunter's arm.

"Enough!" Zabuza snapped, "I can do it myself." He rasped out.

"Well now," the Hunter said in his smooth voice, "Awake already?"

Zabuza pulled out one of the senbon needles that was stuck in his neck. "You have all the finesse of a butcher." He growled as he pulled another from his neck.

"Gently, please, Zabuza-san." The Hunter said, "If you pull those out any which way, you really will kill yourself!"

Zabuza just grunted, "How long are you going to keep that ghoulish mask on? Take it off!" he ordered.

"Old habits die hard…" the Hunter said, "And it was also useful for my monkey pantomime routine…but that girl seemed to recognize me. She _was_ familiar looking. There are not a lot of women with white and blue hair in the world." He mused. Zabuza just scoffed.

"They'd have killed you if I hadn't intervened. The girl and boy with the dragons were particularly strong. I have a feeling that if they had developed the technique any more, you would have been defeated long before the battle even really began." The boy said.

"You needn't have targeted the vulnerable areas in the neck just to put me into a deathlike trance. Any number of other points on my body would have done!" the Jonin scoffed. "But you are such a sadistic little brat…"

"Exactly!" the boy said with a smile. "I didn't want to mar your perfect body, Zabuza-san." He continued, "And besides, the neck is so much less muscular than the rest of the body. I can more precisely target the points…but of course, someone like you will recover much more quickly, right?" the boy said in a soft voice.

"You are so innocent, so guileless…no doubt, it's why I like you." The Jonin grunted.

"Well, I'm only a child." The boy giggled. He then stood, looking around.

"The mist has lifted without us even noticing." He then looked down at Zabuza again, "Next time will you be alright?"

"Next time," Zabuza growled, "I'll break the Sharingan technique!"

And unbeknownst to them, someone very close to the Hunter boy was watching Naruto intently. She got up and placed a hand on the blond shinobi's shoulder, looking down at him with an unusually serious expression.

"I think it's time I told you my secrets." She murmured to him, "Follow me." Naruto followed her without complaint, but when Sakura went to follow them, a senbon needle pinned her to the wall.

"Iduna-hime has secrets that are not meant for your ears. The only reason I know of them is because I am the Poison Dragoon. I cannot explain these things to someone who is not a member of the Ryuujin clan without Iduna-hime's permission." He said with a dark tone. He did not like the fact that Sakura was going to eavesdrop on his Princess' conversation.

Naruto and Iduna ended up jumping on top of the small house that they were residing in. the wind and waves outside provided ample cover for their voices.

"So…you wanted to talk?" Naruto asked, scratching his head. He sat on one side of the house, legs over the side of the roof. Iduna sat next to him. They were so close that their shoulders were nearly touching.

"Yeah…I've kept some things from you and I wanted to share them now. Zabuza could have killed us, and I wanted you to know these things before we died." She said, flashing him a nervous smile.

"Okay. You can tell me anything." He said, nudging her with his elbow. She smiled at him again.

"I know." She sighed, "I guess it starts when I was born. My mother and father were the leaders of my clan. I'm their only daughter. My father was a Ryuujin, but my mother was a civilian with a kekkai genkai. She could control ice, which is where my element came from." She slowly explained, "During the battle with the Kyuubi…" she started, almost hesitating at the guilty look that Naruto sent her, "My father's dragon was killed. Our dragons are like an extension of ourselves. If our dragons die, we will surely follow…although there are some who don't." she sighed. "My father was not one of them."

Naruto took the time to slowly wrap his arm around Iduna's shoulder. She leaned her head on his shoulder and continued her story. "He committed suicide, but it was considered a KIA because of Sakumo's death – Sakumo was my father's dragon. I was born a month later and, because my mother slipped into a depression, she committed suicide as well." She took in a deep breath, "I was not fit to take over the clan – I mean, I was just a baby – so my uncle and his wife took over." She sighed again, "But I was still the heiress…and the heiress of the clan is trusted with a secret power."

"What kind of power?" Naruto's eyes were wide with excitement.

"There is a legend in Konohagakure that the Ryuujin clan depends on the power of the Dragon God, Seiryuu, in order to survive. We can become one with dragons to carry out his wishes." She looked over to him as his excitement peaked, "The legend is true. There are four levels to our kekkei genkai. First is our ability to control the twelve elements – the best are then chosen to become the twelve Dragoons. I was automatically chosen because of a reason I will reveal soon. The second is what you saw when we fought Zabuza. The third is when we literally become one with our dragons. We are then in our Dragoon forms. The fourth is something only I can supposedly do – it's why I am called the Dragon Princess." She stopped short, turning to him with a frown on her face.

"Why _are_ you called that?" he gently questioned, brushing some of her bangs back.

"Because…I'm like you, Naruto." She quietly said.

"What?" Naruto jerked back, surprised.

"The leader of the Ryuujin clan is guardian to a sacred object called 'The Sacred Pearl of Wisdom' or the 'Pearl of Wisdom' for short. Kosumo stole the orb and brought it to me as a baby, but during the struggle…it was cracked. The pearl holds the power of the Lord Seiryuu. If it is destroyed, it could level the entirety of the Fire Country with the raw and untamed power it contains."

"And where is this orb?" Naruto's brows creased, skeptical of her admission. It was then that the white haired kunoichi reached behind her and untied her obi-belt. When it became loose, she pulled it from her body and opened her kimono, pulling up the mesh shirt that she wore underneath it. There, standing against the pale skin of her stomach, was a dark seal mark similar to that of Naruto's.

"A man named Jiraiya sealed the orb inside me. In essence, the Dragon God Seiryuu is sealed inside me. The fourth step is summoning his power forward and offering my body as a shell for his mind and soul. That is, until his task is complete." She finished, looking down.

Naruto was silent for a long while, taking all of this in. He thought about leaving to go back inside once or twice, but, for once, his mature instincts took over. He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her to him in a hug. She was shocked, but more than anything else…she was happy that he hadn't rejected her.

"Hey…" he said, catching her attention. "So that's why you feel unworthy of the title you were given?" he questioned, "Because of all this Dragon God stuff?"

"I'm not strong enough to even attempting to draw power from the orb yet." She whispered, "How am I going to save my clan if I can't even tap into its power?" she questioned.

He tightened his arms around her shaking form. "Don't worry about that now. I promised that I'd be there for you, right? It's one of my goals. To protect you until you can feel worthy of the title." He grinned down at her, "And we're the same…except I'm the demon and you're the god. I'm the dark and you're the light. Two sides of a coin, right?"

Iduna smiled, "Right."

"And think about this!" his voice grew excited, "Once you take back your clan, you can help me become Hokage!"

She just laughed before kissing him on the cheek. "Of course, Naruto," she said, laughing even louder at the blush that had blossomed across his cheeks.


	23. Preparations for Battle

**I live! Sorry for the late update.**

**GaarasMyBoyzz - lol that's horrible and yet funny at the same time.**

**Linda Ku - lol aww, I'm glad you liked it. =) Thanks for the review.**

**RedRangerBelt - Well...okay, I guess I can tell. Haku's mom and Iduna's mom were sisters. Haku and Iduna are cousins related by blood and, as such, they met once when they were little. **

**Elemental Dragon Swordsman - lol yup, you guessed right!**

**Mangekyou Uchiha-ttebayo - Aww, thanks for your compliments. It put a smile to my face when I read the review. I'm so glad you like the story =) Thanks for your review!**

**Alpenwolf - *hugs!* lol When we get to the Chuunin exams...one will leave Team 7. You can probably guess who as Doku isn't really a part of Team Seven. He'll go back to Mizu's team when they get back to Konoha.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Two**

**Preparations for Battle**

* * *

The white haired kunoichi and Naruto had long since retreated back inside the little house. Their bond of friendship was even stronger than it had before and Iduna could feel her seal heat up a little bit. It was like the power sealed inside her, a direct link to the dragon god, was happy that she finally told someone about her secret.

When they went inside, they were happy to see that their silver haired Jonin was sitting up in his bed. He was thinking pretty hard, catching the attention of the young blond shinobi.

"What's wrong, Kakashi-sensei?" he questioned, uncharacteristically worried about his teacher. The older man sighed, bringing up a hand cover his normal eye.

"Of course," he muttered to himself. Then, speaking a little louder so that everyone else could hear him, "The shinobi hunters who manage corpse disposals are supposed to destroy the bodies of those they kill at once, right on the spot." He explained his revelation to the others in the room.

"So what?" Sakura questioned. Iduna and Doku frowned, somewhat understanding where the Jonin was going with this. The shinobi hunter they had run into had not disposed of Zabuza's body.

"Don't you get it?" Kakashi questioned her, "How did the kid in the mask dispose of Zabuza's corpse?"

"Huh?" the pink haired kunoichi questioned, flustered, "How should I know? He took the body with him." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Yes, he did…" the silver haired Jonin sighed, trying to explain it to the girl. How had she managed to become top of her class on the written exams? "Even though all he needed to take home as proof he'd made the kill was the head!"

He let the information sink into the Genins' minds before he started to talk again.

"And…there is a mystery surrounding the weapons that the hunter used to dispatch his prey…" he continued.

The Genin thought hard, but in the end it was only Doku and Sasuke who caught on.

"No way…" the two muttered before glancing at each other.

"Yes, way!" Kakashi exclaimed. Sakura and Naruto were clueless, but Iduna was slowly catching on.

"What the hell nonsense are you all mumbling on about?" Tazuna demanded.

"That it's likely that Zabuza is still alive."

Everyone jerked back, surprised. Well, everyone except for Tsunami, who was clueless as to who Zabuza was.

"What the heck are you talking about?" the blond shinobi exclaimed, jerking forward as his hands clenched into fists.

"But, Kakashi-sensei! You checked to be sure Zabuza was dead, didn't you?" Sakura shrieked in Iduna's ear. The white haired kunoichi jerked back while Saiki hissed in anger, causing the pink haired kunoichi to squeal again.

"I made sure of it…" the Jonin nodded his head, "but…a deathlike trance could have created a very convincing illusion of the real thing…" he sighed, rubbing the bottom portion of his face.

"Those acupuncture needles – Senbon – that the shinobi hunter used can be deadly." The purple haired Genin said, "If they hit a vital spot, that is. If not, the mortality rate is surprisingly low…and remember, they were originally designed as medical treatment tools." He finished, rolling up his sleeve to show the others his supply of senbon. "I would know."

"That's right." Kakashi nodded, impressed, "Shinobi hunters and all members of any village's corpse disposal squad must possess an intimate and thorough knowledge of human physiology. It would be simple for one of them to place a person into a near-death state." He paused to clear his throat, "First of all, the masked boy went to the trouble of lugging Zabuza's heavy carcass. Secondly, the acupuncture needles he used as weapons, while potentially deadly, can also be used to inflict non-mortal injury. These two points suggest that the kid's objective was to give the illusion of killing Zabuza…while he rescued him." He finished in a grave voice.

"That's…actually a really good idea." Iduna slowly said, apprehension showing on her face.

"That's right. Things may be just the way they seemed, but we have to consider the other possibility." The Jonin explained, not wanting to raise a false hope in his students.

"Aren't you just complicating things by over-thinking them?" Tazuna huffed out, waving his hand, "Shinobi hunters are supposed to hunt outlaw shinobi, right?" the old man questioned.

Kakashi nodded, but he was still wary of the situation. "But ignoring something that smells this fishy is a great first step to being caught completely unprepared. And preparation is a shinobi's most important skill!"

The room fell silent as they thought about what they were going to do. Kakashi hated to see his students so crestfallen so he tried to lighten the situation…and he failed, miserably.

"Oh well!" he exclaimed, "Whether Zabuza's dead or alive, there may still be more and even deadlier shinobi in the service of your enemy, Gato." He said with a grin. It was then that the blond shinobi started to tremble with excitement.

Iduna spared a glance at him and a small smile crossed her face. She thought it was cute how he got excited over something so dangerous…but, then again, she couldn't help but feel just a little bit excited as well. How was she to grow if she couldn't face dangerous shinobi?

"Sensei!" Sakura exclaimed after a short while, "You said, 'preparation is a shinobi's most important skill,' but right now you can't even move." She stated flatly, "What are you going to do?" she questioned.

Iduna and Doku were getting fed up with her. What else were they going to do? They were going to train.

"I'm going to increase your training schedule!" the silver haired Jonin said with a bright grin.

"What? Training?" Sakura exclaimed as if she thought they were going to do something different. "But Kakashi-sensei, what will a little extra training now matter with what we're up against?" her voice rose as she continued to shout, "Our opponent is a shinobi so powerful that even with your Sharingan power, he almost defeated you!"

"Shut it! Kakashi-sensei is trying to explain." The white haired kunoichi sighed. She picked up Saiki and stuck him in Sakura's face. She squealed, backing away from the ice dragon and closed her mouth.

"Thank you, Iduna." The silver haired Jonin nodded, "And when I was beleaguered, Sakura, think about who it was that rescued me. You five are all maturing, progressing rapidly, your powers growing exponentially. Even you, Doku. You are not my regular student, but I can tell you've become more powerful than when I first met you." He then turned to Naruto, "Even you, Naruto! You've grown the most!"

"Really?" he questioned with a smile on his face. He stole a glance at his best friend, a blush spreading across his face when he realized that she was smiling kindly at him. The two of them looked away from each other and focused on their teacher when he started to talk again.

"But that being said, the skills I teach you now will be an interim thing only, to tide us over until I recover enough to take over."

"But Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura whined again, "Even if Zabuza is alive, how can we just train without knowing when he may return and strike again?"

"An excellent question…" everyone could tell that he was getting a little tired of her constant questioning, "but once a person has been placed into a near-death trance, it is quite some time before their body returns to its previous state of health and readiness."

"So we'll train while we're waiting!" Naruto exclaimed, clenching his hands into fists. "Could be fun!"

"It won't be fun for _you_." A young voice said from the doorway of the room. Iduna and Doku swirled around, having had their backs to the door.

"Who the heck are you…?" Naruto exclaimed, pointing to the boy. Said boy was very young. He was short, wearing a pair of black overalls over a white shirt. Bandages wrapped around his elbows and ankles and he wore black sandals. On his head was a black and white striped hat.

"Inari! Where have you been?" Tazuna exclaimed, standing up and throwing his arms out.

"Welcome home, Grandpa." The young boy said in a quiet voice.

"Inari, greet our guests properly!" Tsunami scolded with her hands on her hips. "They're the esteemed shinobi who brought our grandfather safely home!"

The one named Inari looked at them with blank faces.

"But Okaa-san. They're all gonna die." He said, pointing at Naruto.

"Listen, you little twerp!"

"Naruto!" Iduna exclaimed, causing him to stop, "You don't hurt children!" she said in a disapproving tone. He calmed down, but Inari's words riled him up again.

"No one can beat Gato and his men." The boy said in a dull tone. Naruto went to attack the boy, but Iduna was quicker. She grabbed his wrist and then wrapped her arms around his waist. Since she was behind him, she didn't see the deep blush covering his face.

"It's not worth it. He's just a little boy." She whispered. He calmed down, but only just.

"Hey, pay attention little guy. I'm a superhero who'll someday become the most extreme shinobi. My name will be Hokage, the fire shadow! Gato? 'Gateau?' this guy's named 'chocolate!' you can't seriously expect me to be afraid of that!"

The boy only scoffed.

"Hero? You're dumb!" he said in a dark tone, "There's no such thing!" he exclaimed, "If you don't wanna die, go home now." He then turned and went to the door.

"Where are you off to, Inari?" Tazuna questioned. The boy turned back.

"I'm going to watch the ocean from my room." He said, leaving. Naruto – tugging Iduna after him – went to chase down the boy, but he paused when he heard Inari crying in his room.

"Leave him be, Naruto." She whispered and he said nothing as she gently pulled him back down the stairs. The shinobi relaxed for the rest of the day, but the next morning, they were outside in the bright sun.

"So, it's decided. The new training regimen begins today!" Kakashi said with an excited tone to his voice.

"Yeah!" Naruto shouted, causing Iduna to giggle despite the early time.

"But first…let's discuss the basis of your shinobi powers…the body of energies known as chakras." The silver haired Jonin said.

"Uh…right." The blond shinobi muttered, "So, um, chakra…what are those again?"

"And you call yourself a shinobi? Did you sleep through every class you ever took?" Sakura screeched, pointing to Naruto. "Pay attention, Naruto! It's a pain, but I'll try to keep it simple! Try to find some storage space for this information in that shiny, smooth brain of yours."

Iduna simply smiled and shook her head. "Perhaps I would do a better job of breaking it down for him?" she suggested, ignoring Sakura's glare. "Naruto, listen up." She said lightly. He nodded, keeping his attention focused solely on her.

"Chakras are, to put it simply, the energies that a shinbi requires in order to perform ninjutsu. Basically, these energies are: one, those of the body, drawn from each and every one of the approximately thirteen trillion cells that are believed to make up the human body. Two, those of the mental and spiritual energy acquired over the course of much training and experience. Together, those two forms of energy are what make up the chakras," she paused, "Does this make sense?"

Naruto nodded with a smile on his face. She didn't yell at him for not understanding. She didn't explain it in a condescending tone. It was easy to understand her.

"Right, so, in effect, all the arts and techniques of the shinobi are born of a combination of those two energies, brought forth from the body and the spirit – in what is called 'manipulating the chakras' – and focused in the mystic process known as 'weaving the signs.'"

"That's correct. Very good, Iduna." He said while Sakura glowered at her. "But," he cut off her glare, "None of you yet has full mastery of your chakra. As Iduna said, manipulation of the chakra refers to summoning physical and mental energies and combining them within your own body." He said as he walked towards them with the help of his crutches, "Depending on which technique you wish to employ, the amount of energy you'd need to absorb would vary as would the makeup of elements you'd need to combine. Right now, none of you are using your chakras effectively!" he exclaimed, staring at each and every one of them.

"No matter how great the amount of chakra you summon and manipulate, if you can't maintain your balance, whatever the technique, not only will the effectiveness of your maneuver be cut in half…but you could blunder so badly the jutsu may not be released at all." He sighed, "And because you end up squandering your energies, you not only lack the stamina for a protracted fight…but you also develop significant vulnerability."

"So, uh, what do we do?" Naruto asked, rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous manner.

"You learn to control your body through the harshest training…go out on a limb and lean from the experience." The silver haired Jonin said.

"How do we do that?" Sakura questioned.

"How?" Kakashi replied, "We climb trees!"


	24. Author's Note

I apologize to all of my readers and fans, but this is what I feel like I have to do. Either I'm going to let someone take over my stories, or I'm going to delete all of them with the intention on reposting some heavily edited (some not heavily edited) stories. I'm going to repost one at a time and I've decided on posting my Naruto story first. I will put up a new poll asking people to vote on the one they want me to work on after I finish the Naruto story.

The reason why I haven't posted in the last year or so is difficult to explain, but a rough summary would be that I was Saved by the Lord and I found a wonderful relationship with the man of my dreams. I've been working on some original stuff and I hope to have some stuff published in the future.

Thank you for being so understanding.


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